[The following is an updated version of the June 2010 edition of Resolution Strategies]
All too often, the parties to a dispute become so immersed in the details and entrenched in their respective positions that they develop tunnel vision and cannot see potentially viable solutions. The following apocryphal story, which has been told in a variety of ways throughout the years, illustrates the point.
The ancient tale tells of three brothers who were left a modest inheritance by their loving father. As custom dictated, the eldest son was given the largest bequest and was therefore to receive one-half of his father’s estate. To the middle son, the father left one-third of his estate, and to the youngest son the father left one-ninth. However, the entire estate consisted of seventeen camels, and nothing more, and therein lies the source of the brothers’ ensuing dispute.
Try as they might, the brothers could not agree on the number of camels each would receive because they saw there was no way to divide seventeen camels in half, nor in thirds nor in ninths, and none of the brothers was willing to take less than his rightful inheritance. For several hours, the brothers argued bitterly over their inheritance, and it appeared they might come to blows.
Just then, a young girl arrived, riding her own camel, and asked why the brothers were arguing. After the brothers explained their dilemma, the young girl selflessly offered them her camel, pointing out that eighteen camels could be divided in half, and in thirds and in ninths.
The brothers declined her generous offer, but the girl insisted, refusing to take no for an answer. Finally, the brothers acquiesced and proceeded to divide the eighteen camels in accordance with their father’s wishes. First the oldest brother took nine camels, which was his half of the eighteen; then the middle brother took six camels, which was his third of the eighteen; finally the youngest brother took two camels, which was his ninth of the eighteen.
As the three brothers began to walk away with their camels, each content with his inheritance, they noticed that one camel still remained. The brothers stared at one another for a few moments with puzzled expressions, then turned their heads in unison and looked back sheepishly at the young girl, who said, with a smile and a wink: “It looks like you didn’t need my camel after all.”
When tunnel vision threatens to derail your settlement negotiations, one way to get over the hump is for everyone to pause, take a step back and try to view the problem from a different angle. From a new vantage point, it’s sometimes easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As always, it would be my pleasure to assist you and your clients in the dispute resolution process. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of service.
Best regards,
Floyd J. Siegal