Once upon a time, a king decided to test the wisdom of his chief adviser. He pondered a long time on the best kind of test and eventually decided on a meal. The king believed that a meal shared with friends was one of the greatest pleasures on earth. So he ordered the adviser to prepare the finest meal he could think of for a palace celebration. The adviser did not hesitate for long. He loved ox tongue with its rich sauces and trimmings.
On the chosen evening, the king and his guest sat down to a mouth-watering, sweet smelling dinner of tongue. At the end of the meal, all agreed that the adviser had proven himself a very gifted cook. The company had never tasted so excellent a meal. The king, however, insisted on knowing why the adviser thought this choice of menu was best.
"What could be better than tongue?" ask the adviser. "In life, with the words of the tongue we greet and name each other, speak and tell others where we are, share joy, bring hope, comfort and support, retell stories of the memories of the ancestors and fashion the dreams of the time that is still to come. Nothing is so fine as the gift of the tongue."
This answer greatly pleased the king. There was only one final test to prove the wisdom of his chosen adviser beyond doubt. "Tomorrow," he said, "I want you to prepare the worst meal in the world for the company." Again, the adviser showed no hesitation and began to prepare the menu.
The next evening, the company gathered around the table again. The smells from the kitchen seemed familiar and when the meal was set on the table they were all surprised because it looked and tasted exactly like the meal of the previous evening. All cut the meal carefully, examined it, chewed it slowly, but none could find any difference.
"Have you not served that delicious meal of tongue again?" asked the king. "It is not possible that it can also be the worst meal in the world. Privately, the king was disappointed. He had been so confident in the wisdom of his adviser after the first test.
"What can sow doubt and confusion more skillfully than the tongue?" asked the adviser. "There are very few other things that can spread so much evil. It can lie and deceive, stir up hatred and anger, play the coward, abuse and terrify and, most often of all, is empty and hollow, using many words to say nothing at all. A tongue can be the worst instrument in the world." The wisdom of the answer silenced the king. He found that he had much to ponder.
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