George Leaua on Alternative Thinking

“The only way to escape from a circle is to look up” is the motto that best illustrates my personal interpretation of alternative thinking. This sentence came to me when I was thirteen years old, and I was attending a religious summer camp with my cousin in the Italian Alps. Although at the time my Italian language skills were rudimentary, the daily prayers and philosophical discussions with the group sparked my imagination and made me think differently than before. Those deep conversations, coupled with my passion for breakdancing at the time, got me the quasi-oxymoronic nickname “ballerino filosofo.” I still believe that at times, we find ourselves dancing in circles, wondering how to break the mold.

Whether humanistic, religious, mathematical, or philosophical, any interpretation of this motto implies a change in perspective which does not replace existing understandings but expands them into another dimension. The circle may appear never-ending in two dimensions, similar to how complex problems appear impossible to solve or escape. By looking up, I become capable of breaking the apparent limitations of their current paradigm. At its best, such a practice opens up for me a new world of possibilities, and at its worst it gives me the opportunity to glance in awe at the beautiful sky above.