My new idea for a column series: I do random oddball stuff and then write about it. (I suppose that pretty much sums up my life in general, but here I’m referring to specific pastimes.)
I figured this serves two purposes, as it gives me an excuse to try weird things that I want to do anyway, and also provides me with plenty of fodder for articles. And perhaps this will give readers a vicarious look into activities they’ve been curious about but didn’t want to bother with themselves.
I went with some friends to one of those escape rooms. This is apparently a new trend in fun activities: You are “locked” in a room as a group, with an hour time limit to solve a puzzle that gives you the code to unlock the door and enable you to leave.
The idea is that you solve a mystery the old fashioned way, by using your brains and working together as a group. Our task was to complete an art heist. We were led to a dim room, with only flashlights to assist us. We had to keep our voices low so that the museum security would not hear our conspiratorial whispers.
We had to determine what clues were important (some were red herrings) and which ones would come into play further down the road. We couldn’t immediately dismiss any details, but also didn’t always know what to pursue first and might not realize the significance of a clue until later. We had to keep an open mind, yet take some kind of action as the clock was ticking.
It’s been said that you don’t want to be the smartest person in the room, and this experience showed me why. I would have been completely lost without the rest of the group. This may sound like I’m really down on myself and that I doubt my own intelligence.
On the contrary; I believe I’m perceptive enough to recognize my own shortcomings and to know when to surround myself with those who have the abilities that I lack. I’d like to think I’m smart enough to know where I’m not smart. I am also very fortunate to know a lot of really sharp, competent people so that certainly helps a lot.
I got an appreciation for the varying talents of the group—maybe someone is good at recognizing patterns in seemingly random data; another person can extrapolate a metaphorical interpretation of a phrase that tells us what to do next. Somebody else can solve a brain teaser with lightning speed.
It goes to show that not all minds work the same way. And that’s a good thing. The escape room may have been a fun excursion on a Sunday afternoon but it is representative of a bigger principle: The demonstration that we all need each other.
Your weakness may be your neighbor’s strength. We can achieve so much more by working together rather than working against each other, appreciating differences rather than being jealous of them or annoyed by them. What if we learn a lesson from a simple party game and make this into our default setting for our everyday lives?
What happens when we do combine our best qualities to achieve a common goal? The word synergy is thrown around so much these days that we forget what it means. But that doesn’t have to diminish the impact when it happens.
When you use everyone’s talents and value their contributions then you end up cracking the code that enables you to escape from the room—five minutes before the clock runs out.