How to Put on Shoes Before Socks

Xuefeng

Feb. 12, 2022

Yesterday, a netizen asked me how to put on shoes before socks. Since I didn't have time to respond yesterday, I am writing this article to answer today.

"Putting on shoes before socks" is the fifth item in my article "18 Items of Unconventional Thinking" in the chapter on Unconventional Thinking. Attempting this reverse order of dressing using conventional logic might seem absurd, as it is exceedingly challenging from a traditional perspective and could be considered "impossible."

To tackle this unconventional concept, one must employ unconventional thinking. Once unconventional approaches are embraced, solutions become apparent.

1. Renaming shoes and socks offers a simple workaround. Call shoes socks and socks shoes. This semantic switch allows for the unconventional act of putting on shoes before socks.

2. In the Thousand-Year World, where I resided, footwear was singular in form—referred to interchangeably as either shoes or socks. If one desired to wear two pairs, layering was the solution. This allowed us to distinguish the inner layer as "shoes" and the outer layer as "socks." Isn't this a clever way to don shoes before socks?

3. Our preconceived notions often lead us to believe that shoes are sturdy and rigid, while socks are loose and soft. However, shoes can be made pliable, and socks flexible. Consider the soft shoes provided by some hotels, easily accommodating a pair of supple socks

4. Must shoes be indivisible? Detachable shoe designs offer an alternative. Don the shoes first, then unzip the instep to open the shoe upper, allowing for sock insertion. Close the upper and zip up the zipper. Voila! Shoes before socks.

Every phenomenon should be considered within a realm of possibility—sixty-four possibilities to be precise. Limiting ourselves to familiar knowledge and cognitive boundaries renders many problems unsolvable. For instance, must the China-U.S. relationship solely vacillate between cooperation and confrontation? Surely, there exist sixty-two other potential approaches. Similarly, must human relationships be confined to just acquaintances and strangers, relatives and foes, or rich and poor? By embracing unconventional thinking, we unlock a myriad of solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Must we adhere to the notion that human society's survival mode must either be capitalism or socialism? Is communism the only future for humanity? Many seemingly unsolvable or difficult problems can only be resolved or answered through unconventional thinking.