Alfred Korzybski, author of Science and Sanity, was asked to speak at a prestigious school for girls (I assume the Barstow school in Kansas City) in the mid-1930's. He had been informed beforehand that there was one particular girl who posed a problem at the school. The girl was quite talented and intelligent, but something of a disciplinary problem and not really liked by the other girls. In short, she acted "full of herself".
Korzybski arranged for the girl to be seated on the stage with him at a small table after he was introduced. She, of course, sat beaming with pride as she shared the stage with the famous Count Korzybski! He began his talk, seated behind the table due to a leg injury suffered during World War I.
As he often did, during his talk he pulled from his pocket a pack of cigarettes, a holder, and a small box of matches. He placed them on the table in front of him. After a few minutes, he made something of a show of taking a cigarette from the pack and placing it in the holder. The girl, eagerly watching him, seated within reach of the matches, waited expectantly for Korzybski to finish his preparations so she light his cigarette. Sure enough, as soon as he gave her the slightest nod, she grabbed the box of matches, pushed the middle open and reached inside to take a match.
To her surprise, however, the box was empty. Korzybski continued talking, then turned to look at the unamused girl and the empty matchbox. The entire room focused attention on the girl. She opened the box completely, turned it upside down to show it was empty, and said rather haughtily, "Who would carry around an empty matchbox?"
Korzybski replied dismissively, "My dear, the world is a far bigger place than you've ever imagined."
He set the cigarette and holder back down on the table and proceeded with his talk.
A few minutes later he reached into his pocket, pulled out another box of matches and placed them on the table within reach of the girl. Again, she watched intently for him to pick up the cigarette and allow her to light it. This time, instead of immediately opening the matchbox, she held it up to her ear and shook it. Hearing the rustle of matches inside, she smiled with assurance, opened the box and pulled out a matchstick.
But the matchstick she took from the box was already burnt. The slightest bit embarrassed, she looked through the box and then in exasperation dumped them out on the table. "They're all burnt! I can't believe you would carry around burnt matches! My father would NEVER do anything like that!"
Korzybski gave her a rather impatient, knowing look and declared, "The world is a much bigger and more complicated place than you or even your father or your mother could ever imagine."
He again placed the cigarette and holder on the table and continued his talk. After a few more minutes time, he pulled from his pocket a third box of matches and placed it on the table.
This time the girl didn't even wait for him to ready his cigarette. She immediately grabbed the box of matches, held it to her ear, and shook it.
Nothing.
She confidently set the matches back on the table, looked up at the pot-bellied, bald-headed man, and sat back in her chair - very proud of herself indeed.
Korzybski continued talking and slowly began preparing the cigarette. The girl didn't move. When he was ready to light the cigarette, still continuing his talk, he picked up the box of matches, gave one end of the box a sharp poke with his finger, and the box opened. It was packed with fresh, unlit matches that had been jammed into the box such that there was no room for them to shake. He took one, struck it against the box, and lit his cigarette.
Korzybski puffed and continued with his lecture, while the girl sat silently beside - bewitched, bothered, bewildered, and a little bit smaller.
According to Bernie, Korzybski followed up a few months later to find out that, indeed, the girl's behavior had changed since the meeting. She had begun to delay her reactions, and begun to act a little less "full of herself".
