I’m going to share a game with you. This game will reveal
incredible things about whoever plays it; surprise, shock and delight complete
strangers, and has kickstarted more friendships than I know how to count.
Play along and you’ll see.
Original
Conditions
I want you to imagine a desert, stretching out as far as
your eyes can see. In this desert is a cube.
Your first task is to describe the cube. What does it
look like? How large is it? What is it made of? Where exactly is it?
There are no right answers here, only your answers. Take a moment before you continue – the
detail is important.
As you look at the desert and your cube, you notice there
is also a ladder. Your second task (there are just five) is to describe the
ladder. What is it made of? How big is it? Where is it, in relation to the
cube?
Now imagine that in the scene there is a horse. Your
third task: describe the horse. Most importantly: where is the horse, and what
is it doing? Where, if anywhere, is it going?
We’re nearly there now. In the scene before you are
flowers. Your penultimate task: describe the flowers. How many are there? What
do they look like? Where are they, in relation to the horse, cube, ladder and
sand?
Final question... In the desert there is a storm.
Describe the storm. What type of storm is it? Is it near, or far? What
direction is it headed? Does it affect the horse, flowers, cube or ladder?
If you’ve been playing along, this is going to be fun. If
you didn’t, I must warn you: the next part ruins your ability to play this game
ever again. If you won’t want to ruin it forever, go back now. Trust me.
Ready? There’s no going back.
If you want to play yourself, stop here and do it before
you go to the next part – interpretation. If you want to be facilitator, or you
already got through, go down to examine the results.
Results
Interpretation
The cube is
yourself.
The size is ostensibly your ego: a large cube means
you’re pretty sure of yourself, a small cube less so.
The vertical placement of the cube is how grounded you
are. Resting on the sand? You’re probably pretty down to earth. Floating in the
sky? Your head is in the clouds.
The cube’s material conveys how open you are: transparent
cubes belong to transparent people, opaque cubes are more protective of their
minds. Glowing? You’re likely a positive person, who aims to raise the spirits
of others. Made of granite? You’re likely protective and resilient.
The trick here is that when asked to describe a blank,
abstract entity – a cube – your imagination will tend to project its own identity
onto it. This trick is as old as time, but it’s about to get more interesting.
The ladder
represents your friends.
Are your friends leaning on the cube? Your friends depend
on you, and are close. Is the ladder frail, or robust? Tall or short? Does it
lead inside the cube? Or is it cast to one side, lying unloved on the sand? By
now you should be able to draw your own conclusions.
The horse
represents your dream partner.
The type of horse reveals a lot about what you yearn for
in a partner. Some people see a steady brown workhorse, others a shining Pegasus
or unicorn. Make of these people what you will.
Is your horse nuzzling your cube affectionately, or
taking a bite out of it? Is it far from your cube, or walking away? This can
represent a current partner, or an aspirational one, but the results are often
a mix of touching and hilarious.
The flowers
represent children.
The number of flowers relates to how many you imagine
having. Some people see just a single, withered daisy; others a resplendent
garden covering the cube and desert beneath. (Guys: watch out for those).
The color and vitality of the flowers can speak to their
health and presumed prosperity. The placement – particularly in relation to the
cube – can reveal interesting relations; I met one woman whose horse was eating
their flowers.
Finally, the storm
represents threat.
This speaks to the current state of the person, and how
they perceive risk in their life. Some may see a distant storm, on the lip of
the horizon, fading from sight. Others may view themselves in the midst of a
thunderous apocalypse, hailstones the size of tennis balls pelting their
fragile cube and horse. Chances are those people have some immediate trauma in
their life.
Now is this all correct? Of course it isn’t. You won’t be
reading any peer-reviewed journals on the soothsaying properties of horses and
ladders. This is a game, albeit one that has endured in various forms for
thousands of years.
But if you play along – and I encourage you to try this
on others – you will find it appears to have an uncanny sense of reliability to
it. There might be many reasons: people seem to project themselves onto
abstract objects (the cube), and their affections onto animals (the horse). Our
nurturing of flowers bears some resemblance to that of children, a storm is a
signal of environmental danger that taps into our sense of unease, and a ladder
is something we find supporting.
Maybe it’s all just wishful psychobabble.
But I’ll tell you what. It’s an incredible tool for
getting to know someone. In five minutes you’re able to discuss a stranger’s
character, friends, partner, children, risks, dreams and aspirations. You will
stand out as someone memorable, and you probably had a right laugh too.
Meanings of Colors
You can ask just the basic questions or choose to go into
more detail and ask about the colors of the cube, ladder, horse, storm, and
flowers. Below is a list of colors and what each means.
Black: Black is the color of authority, elegance,
sophistication, and seduction. Black can also imply submission such as a woman
who is wearing black panties implies she wants the man to see her in her
underwear.
White: White symbolizes innocence and purity, which is
why the wedding dress is white. Doctors wear a white coat to imply sterility
and cleanliness.
Red: The color of dominance, power, and sexual energy,
the color red attracts attention. It is also the color of love.
Blue: One of the most popular colors, blue represents
knowledge, authority, and loyalty. Blue causes the body to produce calming
chemicals so it is often used in bedrooms. The color blue shows loyalty.
Green: Green represents compassion, prosperity, money,
and vitality. It is a relaxing color. Many TV studios have a “green room” for
people to sit in to relax before they go on the air.
Yellow: Yellow is another attention getter. While it is
considered an optimistic color, symbolizing enthusiasm and playfulness. The
color yellow is very difficult for the human eye to take in and can be
overpowering.
Purple: Purple is the color of royalty. It represents
luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic and rarely
found in nature.
Brown: Old reliable brown. Brown shows stability. It is
the color of earth and a favorite of most men.
The five-minute personality test is designed to be quick
and easy. You can be as elaborate as you wish by asking more questions or keep
it simple and ask very minimal questions. I like to keep the number of
questions I ask minimal as to keep my interpretations open thus more likely to
get a response from the intended target. Have her draw the picture as you tell
the story, so you can banter her later about her crude drawings. Have her sign
it at the end so you can frame her “masterpiece” or pin it up on the fridge.
Sources and
Additional Information:
http://thetab.com/2016/05/31/everyones-sharing-cube-personality-test-actually-pick-artist-scam-91775
