Rest in Peace, Dr Edward de Bono
Dr de Bono passed away on the ninth of this June, the author of the theory of creative thinking and the creator of the Six Thinking Hats, which I highlighted in one of my articles, on December 1 2020. He left quietly on the island of Malta, where de Bono is an icon. The President of Malta, George Villa, mourned him, saying: The death of Professor Edward de Bono is a loss for the whole nation. He put Malta on the map and changed ways of thinking.
De Bono was born on May 19, 1933, and obtained his Bachelor of Medicine from the University of Malta, then a Masters in Psychology from Oxford University in Britain, and then a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Cambridge. He has authored more than 60 books to explain his creative thinking theories and help people break free. From stereotypical thinking and overusing logic, the BBC presented a television series based on his work. He worked as a lecturer at the three universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard, and founded the New York School of Thinking in the United States. De Bono was able to document and disseminate his idea, in addition to training a fleet of qualified trainers. In 1991, the number of trainers of creative thinking reached 400 trainers, working in 27 countries, helping international companies such as Boeing, Nestle, Ernst & Young and Airlines British.
He was a successful businessperson, as his companies and training programs achieved unprecedented success in all world countries. His work earned him international fame, and many universities awarded him honorary doctorates from Melbourne, Australia, to Dundee, Scotland. Still, a tremendous honour was received when a planet was named after him. Malta awarded the planet DE73, which became Edebono, in recognition and honour of his name, and the National Medal of Merit in 1995. De Bono was very interested in the education system. He always believed that children should be given the opportunity to think creatively and trust their abilities. He conducted a practical experiment where he asked groups of children to develop solutions to big problems, such as designs for homes. He published the experiment results in 1972 in a book entitled « Children solve problems.” He also believed in the importance of humour, shortens distances, and that that skill should be learned.
Dr de Bono developed solutions to intractable problems, including the problem of Israel and Palestine. Among his most significant achievements in the recent period is establishing the “New Thinking Palace” initiative at the Presidential Palace in Malta, which is a platform for generating new thinking on global issues and contributing to the world to reconsider ways of thinking. De Bono chose to establish his legacy project on the island of Malta because it has a long history, and at the same time, is too young to pose a threat to any country and an expression of his belonging to his homeland.
I met him in 2001 in Abu Dhabi, and then in 2020 via the Internet, as part of the education system development team in Malta. When I asked him to write a word for my new book, I received the word within days, and this is a lesson I will never forget, as humility and work remain among the hallmarks of great men. De Bono’s body is gone, but his work and contributions will live on. His funeral will take place on Saturday, June 19 at 10:30 am CET and broadcast live through a link on deBono.com
*Publish initially in Arabic at Emarat Al Youm newspaper, Dubai, UAE on 14.06.2021
https://www.emaratalyoum.com/opinion/2021-06-14-1.1501673
@Alaa_Garad | Garad@alaagarad.com
