Rubik's Cube

I would like to start off by saying I am sorry it has been so hit and miss with my postings this past month.  There have been a lot of things happening in my life that has taken me away from my postings.  I hope things have settled down enough that I can get back to regular posts.

That being said, it is now time for this week's literature lesson.

This weeks lesson is the Rubik's Cube.  What is that you say?  What does a Rubik's Cube have to do with literature?  Well, let me explain.  I have been teaching psychology and I use the Rubik's cube as a lesson in learning and brain function.  I personally have never been able to solve a Rubik's cube.  In fact, when I was a kid I took my cube apart and put the squares back in the right order.  The cube never worked the right way again.

I decided I would try to learn to solve the cube.  I purchased a new cube and made sure the package contained instructions.  Over the past week I have worked on trying to follow the instructions to solve the cube.  As I went through the process step by step I studied the instructions over and over again.  I noticed as I went through a few of the steps the instructions contained a few errors.  The steps were explained in a very logical, sequential manner, but since I have an abstract mind I made many errors.  There were times the cube was almost complete and, after a few turns, it was completely messed up again.

I persisted and spent hours going through the steps and over and over again until the movements became incorporated into my sensory memory.  What was important to me as a reader was the detailed instructions that helped me develop the knowledge to solve the cube.

The literature lesson I learned from solving a rubik's cube is the importance of creating clear, specific details.  Without the instructions I would never have solved the Rubik's Cube.  Is still don't understand the logic and sequence behind the cube, but since I solved it once, I know I can solve it again.  It's important to step outside your comfort zone and try something new.  Working on the cube taught me so much about the importance of specific details and clear directions.