Chrysti The Wordsmith: Contradictory Proverbs

Greetings and welcome to Christie the wordsmith. Proverbs are meant to be instructive short pithy expressions such as an apple a day keeps the doctor away and all that glitters is not gold. Reflect the accumulated wisdom and values of our culture. However if you closely examine the assemblage of our cherished Proverbs you begin to detect a perplexing pattern of contradiction. For example how can we respect the wisdom in the expression. Many hands make light work when in the next instant too many cooks spoil the broth. Do we put our faith in absence making the heart grow fonder or must we worry about being out of sight out of mind. We're told not to judge a book by its cover but at the same time appearance is valued in the notion that clothes make the man. Well the truth is both proverb X and its inverse are useful in different contexts. Take the earlier example. Many hands make light work vs. too many cooks spoil the broth. The first proverb applies in a task that

requires unskilled labor. Everyone can pitch in and voila the job is soon merrily accomplished. On the other hand too many experts devoted to a task will probably produce an inferior product just as too many cooks will spoil the broth. It's up to us to discern which proverb fits the situation at hand. I'm Christi the wordsmith this series is recorded and produced in the studios of KGO FM on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry. Zoot web dot com.