De Bono’s emphasis on the need to foster an environment conducive to lateral thinking is interesting to me. Looking back on my own education, I can see how De Bono’s claim that an emphasis on vertical thought makes it difficult to develop lateral thinking is supported by my own experience. I often felt like there was little place for creative expression or asking challenging questions in the classrooms I attended which limited my creativity in general.
I agree with what De Bono said, that humor can strike unpredictably. From my own observations, I’ve learned that the most successful jokes and humorous remarks are those that present an unusual viewpoint on a common situation. It seems that in those circumstances, I use lateral thinking instinctively to generate funny thoughts. These examples show the value of lateral thinking even in things such as humor.