Which light is on top of the traffic light? Is it the Red or the
Green? Your first thought, probably is that this is an easy question
to answer. However, put yourself in this position—you are
on one of the current quiz shows that pays a lot of money for
correct answers. You must answer this question correctly to win
the top prize. Now then, which light is on top, the Red or the Green?
if you have been able to picture yourself in the above position,
you are probably hesitating now, because you're not
really sure which light is on top, are you? If you are sure,
then you're one of the minority who has observed what
most people only see. There is a world of difference between
seeing and observing; proven, of course, by the fact
that most of the people to whom I put the above question,
either give the wrong answer or are not sure. This, even
though they see the traffic lights countless times every day!
By the way, Red is always on top of the traffic light,
Green is always on the bottom. If there is a third color, it
is usually Yellow, for caution, and that one is always in the
center. If you were sure that Red was the correct answer, let
me see if I can't puncture your pride a bit with another observation test.
Don't look at your wrist watch! Don't look at your wrist
watch, and answer this question:—Is the number six on
your watch dial, the Arabic #6, or is it the Roman Numeral
VI? Think this over for a moment, before you look at your
watch. Decide on your answer as if it were really important
that you answer correctly. You're on that quiz show again,
and there's a lot of money at stake.
All right, have you decided on your answer? Now, look
at your watch and see if you were right. Were you? Or
were you wrong in either case, because your watch doesn't
have a six at all!? The small dial that ticks off the seconds
usually occupies that space on most modern watches.
Did you answer this question correctly? Whether you
did or did not, you had to look at your watch to check. Can
you tell now, the exact time on your watch? Probably not,
and you just looked at it a second ago! Again, you saw, but
you didn't observe.
Try this on your friends. Although people see their
watches innumerable times every day, few of them can tell
you about the numeral six.
Here's another one to try on your friends; but you'd better
see if you can answer it first. If you are a cigarette
smoker, you have seen a blue tax stamp on your pack of
cigarettes each time you take it out to remove a cigarette.
On this tax stamp is the picture of a man, and his name is
printed under the picture.
For the top prize on our imaginary quiz show, name this
man! I guess you'll have to leave the quiz show with only
the consolation prize. I say this so definitely because only
about two or three of the many people I've tested, have
answered this one correctly. The man pictured on the revenue
stamp is De Witt Clinton! Check it.
I don't want to be sneaky, but if you've just looked at the
stamp and at the picture of De Witt Clinton, you must have seen what Clinton was doing with his left hand. You
also saw, or probably saw, four letters, two on the upper
left and two on the upper right of the stamp. I say that you
saw these things, I don't think you observed them. If you
did, you should be able to tell yourself right now, what
De Witt Clinton is doing with his left hand, and also name
the four letters.
Had to look again, didn't you? Now you've observed that
his left hand is at Clinton's temple, as if he were thinking,
and the letters are, U.S.I.R. for United States Internal Revenue.
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