Puzzles

 

See the Whole Picture

 

By David E. Metcalf

 

Written: 2/29/24

 

 

Note: This is the first in a series of writings about a concept called “Whole Picture Thinking.” Each writing will be numbered in order because it is important to read these in order, as they will build on each other, much like how a building is constructed from the foundation up. You can’t build the first floor until you have laid the foundation, and you can’t build the second floor without at least constructing the framework of the first floor. You could also compare it to math, such as algebra, where you need to learn the basic concepts first, or you will have a hard time understanding the more complex concepts. Or, you could compare it to building a puzzle.

 

“I’ve been looking for that piece for an hour, and you came by and just picked it up and put it into place!” This is a common statement heard between fellow puzzle builders!

 

When you build a jigsaw puzzle, a common method is to gather and put together the outside edge pieces first, forming a framework for the rest of the puzzle. Then you begin filling in the middle, finding pieces that have matching colors and shapes that connect, while using the picture on the box as a guide.

 

Certain members of my family, including myself, enjoy putting puzzles together, especially during the holidays, or at other times when we have enough free time to spend. For those who are “wired” this way, it can be a relaxing and mentally stimulating activity.

 

Occasionally, I have thought about how difficult it would be to build puzzles without seeing the whole picture on the box, and how it would be hard to guess what the picture was about by just looking at the individual pieces all mixed up on the table. I realized this is an analogy of life and the truths about various aspects of life. As I think about this, it becomes obvious that many people tend to make decisions about what they believe and what they think is true by what I call “partial-picture thinking.” They look at a handful of random pieces and make judgements about what the whole picture is.

 

We’ve heard the term “critical thinking” and its importance. But let me suggest that you can be a critical thinker about part of the picture and still be wrong or partly wrong about the entire picture. “Whole picture thinking” is the form of critical thinking that is desperately needed to avoid deception, or to put it another way, to avoid being misled into believing something that turns out to be harmful. If we read the Bible, we will notice many scriptures warning us not to be deceived, and imploring us to “prove all things,” and to avoid being “blown about by the wind.” We will discover that “whole picture thinking” is indeed biblical.

 

Let’s take an example of a puzzle – let’s say it is a scene where those who are ready to put it together are asked to guess whether it is a “summer scene” or a “winter scene,” based on looking at the individual pieces, without any help from seeing the picture on the box.

 

So, the pieces are all laid out on the table randomly, and ten people are asked to look at the pieces and vote for “summer” or “winter” before putting the pieces together. They are also allowed to consult help from any “expert” that they would like to call and ask.

 

Here are the different colors of pieces they see:

 

• Blue pieces that look like sky.

 

• White pieces that could be clouds, or maybe snow.

 

• A mix of the above.

 

• Yellow pieces that look like sunshine.

 

• Green pieces that look like a coniferous evergreen tree.

 

• Random green, brown, gray, tan pieces that are non-descript. Perhaps brush, grass, etc.

 

• Pieces that look like parts of the upper body of a person wearing a colorful short-sleeved shirt.

 

• Various pieces of a house that is white, brown, gray etc., with some that look like parts of doors, windows and roof.

 

• Pieces that appear to be part of a flowering plant.

 

After studying the pieces, the first person is asked what they think.

 

“I think it is a summer scene. There is blue sky and sunshine, and what gives it away is the short-sleeved boy and the flowering plant. The white pieces are likely clouds, part of the house, and other lighter colored plants or brush. I also consulted a scientist I know who holds multiple degrees and this person says it is a ninety percent probability of a summer scene.”

 

The next person is asked to comment.

 

“I think it is a winter scene. Some of the white pieces could be snow, and I asked a friend of mine who has never been to college, but has lots of life experience as a farmer, construction worker, janitor and trash collector, and he says he thinks he has seen the picture before and it was taken in the winter.”

 

The remaining eight puzzle builders are then asked to vote. They vote as follows:

 

“Summer.”

 

“Summer.”

 

“Summer, obviously.”

 

“Since most are voting for summer, I will vote summer.”

 

“Summer.”

 

“The evidence points to summer.”

 

“I will take a chance and go with winter, since the only person who has possibly seen this before says it is winter.”

 

“Summer.”

 

So, with 8 out of 10 voting for summer, they begin to build the puzzle. Over time, much of what they think the pieces are turn out to be true. But one interesting thing begins to take shape. The boy and the plant are inside the house next to an open window. One of the builders who has good knowledge of plants recognizes it as a type of a plant that can produce flowers year-round inside the house. This is interesting but not definitive proof one way or the other.

 

Finally, as the puzzle nears completion, definitive evidence appears. Indeed, in a few shady spots, there appears to be what looks like a small amount of snow remaining on the ground. Not a bright white color, but a little gray and dirty. But what seals the deal for those who vote “winter” is some of the non-descript pieces of brown and green, which when put together reveal a small deciduous tree in front of a larger evergreen tree, and the deciduous tree has no leaves!

 

Now, it’s possible it could be a dead deciduous tree in the summer, but with the remaining snow to confirm, it is no surprise that when the 10 builders are asked to vote again, they unanimously vote “winter.”

 

The lesson learned here is simple, yet profound. The majority are not always right, and often wrong, or partly wrong. Without seeing the whole picture, or at least a significant part of the picture, it is easy to be deceived. When we hear things like, “Ninety-five percent of the scientists believe…” we should question whether or not we are being given the whole picture. When we hear things like “trust the experts” we should reply with “no, we should prove all things” and question the “experts.”

 

When it comes to data, we should look at the “whole” of the data and evaluate it from a whole picture lens. When we are asked where we get our information we should reply, “From all sources and then I study it and evaluate it and come to a conclusion based on the whole picture.” We should be our own fact-checker. We should develop the skills of discernment and independent thinking, learning to separate the truth from the error, a concept taught often in the Bible.

 

In future writings, I will discuss foundational principles that align with Scripture and are easily understood by those who have developed “spiritual eyes and ears” but more difficult to understand by those who have not. This will build the foundation for this concept of “whole picture thinking.”