During my daily morning ritual of finding a matching pair of socks, I had a post-shower thought! I am hereby declaring August 12, International Thinking Outside The Socks, I mean, Box Day. Let me explain.
According to Wikipedia, “thinking outside of the box” is defined as:
a metaphor that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective
So, while searching for a matching pair of socks in the blackhole that is my socks drawer, I asked myself … Is there a law that states we have to wear two identical socks ? I’m not a socks expert (yet!) but a few reasons come to mind for why people use matching sock pairs:
- The human brain likes symmetry ?
- Matching pairs of socks have same thickness (comfort) and washing requirements (utility) ?
- Arbitrary ruling, like pink and blue for genders ?
Sorting pairs of socks out is a matter of scientific study!
Look down at your feet. Does your brain go like “Errrrrrr” if you imagine youself wearing different socks ? Exactly! But not for long, because ….
Wearing mismatched types of socks is OK, if …
… done with style. I am thus declaring August 12 as the International Thinking Outside The Box Day as a:
- Yearly reminder against pre-established concepts
- A very good excuse for arguable choices of mismatching sock color patterns
- I can
But, why 12 of August you might ask ? 12 August 1887 is the birthdate of Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger. He’s behind the popular Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment. In that experiment there’s a box. And I like cats!
How To Celebrate International Thinking Outside The Box Day
Were you, dear reader, as blown away as I was when we found out how to put a trash bag in a trash can the easy way ?
On the 12 of August, if you know a neat outside the box trick, share it with your friends and colleagues. Also, wear mismatching pairs of socks!