How Many Petals Are There Around The Rose?
No, no, this is not a romantic narration. When one hears the word 'rose', one would most likely think about love, romance, and all their derivatives. But to generalize this would be most unfair: maybe it's just me, not most people. In any case, no, this is not a narrative about romance. It's about a mind game I just happen to come across during my trip to the virtual world that is the internet. The title of this narration is the title of the aforementioned game.
This is how you play the game: someone who knows how to play the game (or the player him/herself) rolls 5 dices and from the result of the roll the player have to guess 'How many petals are there around the rose'. The person familiar with the rules will tell you the answer only after the player have given the answer. The person should not divulge any hints as to how the correct answer is derived. All he could tell are the name of the game and the answer after the player have submitted his/her answer. All one must employ in coming up with the answer are a basic understanding of math and a 'creative' way of looking at the problem.
If I remembered correctly, I played this game and found the answer 15 minutes after I started playing it. Some people discovered the methodology behind the game not long after he/she started playing the game (less than 5 minutes). And some even took days to discover how the correct answer is derived. Some people discard the idea behind the game as trivial. However, some even said that the longer it takes for a player to discover how to play the game, the smarter the player.
I usually don't write about a game like this. But I found the idea behind the game very interesting, and worth writing about. I remembered trying to find out more about this game from googling (and, of course, trying to cheat my way into finding out how to calculate the correct answer, though in the end I desisted, knowing that I'd feel bad about it the next day) and reading some writing that said that a child could find out the methodology of calculating the answer faster than most adult. And I also read from a website that the 'smarter' you are, the longer it will take for you to discover the way to find out the correct answer. After finding out the method behind the game, I must say that I partially agree with the above two sentiments.
If you look back at the first paragraph of this narration, I mentioned a matter of perspective. Indeed, when one hears the word 'rose', there could be many associations that come to mind. One could associate it with romance. With love. With flowers in biological or botanical terms. And with many more associations. So it is with this game. I must say that it is true that one's effort in trying to find out the method to produce the correct answer in this game could reflect at how one look at the surrounding world. In another word, the game reflects at how a player views the surrounding world.
Some gave comments that, when summarized, showed an expression of stupidity for being able to uncover the method behind the game in a very short period of time (albeit due to some writings, like the one mentioned in previous paragraphs, about being smarter would make someone take an even longer time in discovering the method). I must say that I disagree with such sentiment. It is only a matter of perspective, a matter of how one look at the world. I say that the more complicated a person is, the longer it will take for the person to discover the correct answer to the game. And this coincides with the statement saying that children could figure out the answer to this game faster than most adults, because children are simple-minded and innocent. They have not been internalized with the 'possibilities' and 'impossibilities' of this world. They don't know what 'makes sense' and what 'doesn't make sense'. Smart or not is only a matter of perspective. I even heard there are many instances where the most genious ideas usually come out of children's mouths.
It is also not true to say that those who discovered the methodology in a very short period of time are childish people. It's just that the way they view the world is less complicated. Personally, I could even say that it's a good thing having a simple mind. For simple minds don't demand much. They tend to find the world more interesting and enjoyable than those with complicated minds. And, they tend to have less on their minds, making them less prone to depression and stress. But, once again, coming to matters of perspective, this probably is just how I look at things.
I was quite taken aback with the game's simplicity. At first, I almost discard the idea as trivial. But when I really looked at it, I found out that the meaning in this game was quite deep.
So, for those reading this narration trying to find out as how to come up with the correct answer, look somewhere else because you will not find it here. I suggest that you try to find out the 'trick' behind the game by yourself. When you do, you might consider it as trivial. And then again, you might, like me, become aware of the simple yet beautiful message behind it. But then again, it's only a matter of perspective.
Right?
(P. S. : Curious about the game? Just go to Google and type 'petals around the rose' in the search field and google away. You will find many websites where you could play this game.)
This is how you play the game: someone who knows how to play the game (or the player him/herself) rolls 5 dices and from the result of the roll the player have to guess 'How many petals are there around the rose'. The person familiar with the rules will tell you the answer only after the player have given the answer. The person should not divulge any hints as to how the correct answer is derived. All he could tell are the name of the game and the answer after the player have submitted his/her answer. All one must employ in coming up with the answer are a basic understanding of math and a 'creative' way of looking at the problem.
If I remembered correctly, I played this game and found the answer 15 minutes after I started playing it. Some people discovered the methodology behind the game not long after he/she started playing the game (less than 5 minutes). And some even took days to discover how the correct answer is derived. Some people discard the idea behind the game as trivial. However, some even said that the longer it takes for a player to discover how to play the game, the smarter the player.
I usually don't write about a game like this. But I found the idea behind the game very interesting, and worth writing about. I remembered trying to find out more about this game from googling (and, of course, trying to cheat my way into finding out how to calculate the correct answer, though in the end I desisted, knowing that I'd feel bad about it the next day) and reading some writing that said that a child could find out the methodology of calculating the answer faster than most adult. And I also read from a website that the 'smarter' you are, the longer it will take for you to discover the way to find out the correct answer. After finding out the method behind the game, I must say that I partially agree with the above two sentiments.
If you look back at the first paragraph of this narration, I mentioned a matter of perspective. Indeed, when one hears the word 'rose', there could be many associations that come to mind. One could associate it with romance. With love. With flowers in biological or botanical terms. And with many more associations. So it is with this game. I must say that it is true that one's effort in trying to find out the method to produce the correct answer in this game could reflect at how one look at the surrounding world. In another word, the game reflects at how a player views the surrounding world.
Some gave comments that, when summarized, showed an expression of stupidity for being able to uncover the method behind the game in a very short period of time (albeit due to some writings, like the one mentioned in previous paragraphs, about being smarter would make someone take an even longer time in discovering the method). I must say that I disagree with such sentiment. It is only a matter of perspective, a matter of how one look at the world. I say that the more complicated a person is, the longer it will take for the person to discover the correct answer to the game. And this coincides with the statement saying that children could figure out the answer to this game faster than most adults, because children are simple-minded and innocent. They have not been internalized with the 'possibilities' and 'impossibilities' of this world. They don't know what 'makes sense' and what 'doesn't make sense'. Smart or not is only a matter of perspective. I even heard there are many instances where the most genious ideas usually come out of children's mouths.
It is also not true to say that those who discovered the methodology in a very short period of time are childish people. It's just that the way they view the world is less complicated. Personally, I could even say that it's a good thing having a simple mind. For simple minds don't demand much. They tend to find the world more interesting and enjoyable than those with complicated minds. And, they tend to have less on their minds, making them less prone to depression and stress. But, once again, coming to matters of perspective, this probably is just how I look at things.
I was quite taken aback with the game's simplicity. At first, I almost discard the idea as trivial. But when I really looked at it, I found out that the meaning in this game was quite deep.
So, for those reading this narration trying to find out as how to come up with the correct answer, look somewhere else because you will not find it here. I suggest that you try to find out the 'trick' behind the game by yourself. When you do, you might consider it as trivial. And then again, you might, like me, become aware of the simple yet beautiful message behind it. But then again, it's only a matter of perspective.
Right?
(P. S. : Curious about the game? Just go to Google and type 'petals around the rose' in the search field and google away. You will find many websites where you could play this game.)
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