puzzling

here is something i have been thinking about today.

is it cheating to look at the box (with the picture) when doing a puzzle?

i have always said that it is. i haven't looked at a box while doing a puzzle since i was probably four.

but right now i am doing a national geographic zebra puzzle and it is getting the best of me. all those stripes are so difficult to sort out.

and my mother said to me today, "not looking at the picture doesn't make you smarter or better at puzzles; it makes you an idiot for not using your resources."

for a few minutes i got very tempted to look at the picture. those darn zebras.

but really. isn't that cheating? where is the challenge if you are just copying from a picture?



such serious and important wonderings.