Attributes That Matter Versus Color, Size, and Which Way It Is Turned

This is not just for paper. Judging by what truly defines something rather than by appearance is wisdom worth practicing everywhere. This is worth learning because looking at what defines a thing rather than how it looks is real thinking.

Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Ask yourself where else the same idea might be hiding, then go and look.

You are going to like this one. A shape stays itself no matter how it looks. A red triangle and a blue triangle are both triangles. A tiny triangle and a huge triangle are both triangles. Turn a triangle upside down and it is still a triangle.

What matters is the number of sides and corners. Color, size, and direction are not defining attributes. Learning this keeps you from being fooled when a square is turned to stand on a corner.

Try this test with a friend. Turn a square so it stands on a corner and ask what it is. Many people will say diamond. Explain why it is still a square, and you will have taught something real. Little by little, this becomes something you just know.