What does the phrase "thinking outside the box" mean to you? by Nicholas

What does the phrase "thinking outside the box" mean to you? by Nicholas - October 2018 Scholarship Essay

We live in a world where progress is measured as the direct result of our actions. Our actions are purely determined by the way we think. We are constantly faced with these questions, "Are we too limited and traditional, closed-off in our thought processes?" Or "Are we daring enough to think outside the box?"

Modern evolution of thought in society has taught us that it is good and healthy to "think outside the box." This means we have to learn to stretch our thoughts beyond conventional wisdom, beyond what culture and tradition have taught us. Culture and tradition have been formed by society over a period of time. They have been tested and refined, and tested again, as the years go by. Proverbs and sayings form out of our culture and traditions created by living through time in society. So it has always been viewed taboo in certain societies to think outside the box. Some of our culture and traditions are what have been formed over hundreds if not thousands of years, passed down as generational wisdom.

A society or people that fear "thinking outside the box" may disintegrate the fabric of society, and will become a nation that will never advance. Evolution of thought has to first happen in our minds. Our minds have to be willing to stretch to think of new angles, new directions, set new boundaries or even test existing ones. Being willing to stretch our thoughts is what makes such radical thinkers to become inventors and discoverers. A society that is fearful of advancements by "thinking outside the box" is setting itself up for failure. A society that encourages its people to think new thoughts helps the collective community to advance by setting upon new paths of discovery and enlightenment.

Enlightenment happens when one person or a few people take it upon themselves to "think outside the box." A classic example of "thinking outside the box" is when Italian Astronomer, Galileo Galilei, had read of Polish Mathematician and Astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus's "heliocentric theory," and accepted that planets revolve around the sun, after researching it to be true. He was convicted of heresy by the Catholic church on April 12, 1633. Galileo was able to "think outside the box," which helped him invent the telescope in 1609 to view celestial bodies and arrive upon this conclusion, thus validating Copernicus' claims published in 1543. Galileo's "thinking outside the box" got him house-arrested by the Catholic church. So he was unable to influence society of his findings.

Our thoughts result in good or bad actions. This makes it important for us to "think outside the box," to see if we can use our thoughts to make inventions and discoveries possible. Inventions and Discoveries exist just beyond the realm of those boundaries where society, tradition, and culture caution us not to go. It is by stretching our imaginations, our thought processes, that we are able to do good to humankind by developing cures for terrible sicknesses and ailments. It is by stretching our boundaries of thought that we are able to ward off depression and loneliness. It is by "thinking outside the box" that we are able to remain healthy and whole as a society. We have to encourage new thought processes that test the boundaries of conventional wisdom and age-old limitations. In doing so, we can help carry mankind forward and reap the benefits that "thinking outside the box" brings.