Have you ever compared the design of US dollars to other countries’ notes, like the Euro? Each Euro numerical denomination includes color and architectural treasures. I’ve included a picture of the EURO note so you can see an illustration. Each denomination boasts detailed illustrations of doorways, bridges and aqueducts. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/banknotes/design/html/index.en.html
Look closely. None of the illustrations represent actual existing monuments or bridges. What?!? Europe, the home of Gothic cathedrals, Palladium windows, leaning towers and Rose stained glass windows chose to forego boasting of their architectural gems on their money. Why? In contrast, US currency includes renderings of the Lincoln Memorial in DC, the White House and the US Capitol, but the Euro includes only a composite of many European architectural landmarks.
It seems the European Monetary Institute came up with a creative solution to the inevitable jostling between countries over whose monument is memorialized on the EURO note. Can you imagine France suggesting Mont St. Michelle https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/unmissable-sites/the-mont-saint-michel/for the 100 Euro note and bumping up against Germany asserting that Neuschwanstein Castle https://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/ is the best. Who can choose with this embarrassment of riches? This is a no-win situation. So, the Institute consciously chose a composite and avoided national favoritism. What an elegant solution.
As a mediator, I am confronted with no-win situations all the time (or at least, the parties believe they are no-win choices.) My challenge is to blend these no-win options into a win-win or perhaps more likely, kinda win-kinda win solutions. I am creating composite windows and bridges all the time (sometimes lovely and other times Frankenstein-ish)
Good mediators do this and if you are a user of mediation services, I urge you to welcome these Frankenstein-ish composite ideas.
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