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Wise Words Wednesday is a Story

Stitched tag : Theme "All Stitched Up' - The Emperor's New Clothes
Hand stitched calico& metal embellishment
Instead of just wise words this Wednesday.. here is a favourite story. "The Emperor's New Clothes"
 A vain Emperor who cares about nothing except wearing and displaying clothes hires two swindlers who promise him the finest, best suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position or "hopelessly stupid". The Emperor's ministers cannot see the clothing themselves, but pretend that they can for fear of appearing unfit for their positions and the Emperor does the same. Finally the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they mime dressing him and the Emperor marches in procession before his subjects. The townsfolk play along with the pretence not wanting to appear unfit for their positions or stupid. Then a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability of keeping up the pretence, blurts out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all and the cry is taken up by others. The Emperor cringes, suspecting the assertion is true, but continues the procession. from  Wikipedia
Moral of the story - Always tell the truth? Look before you leap? Those with authority are not always right?

Comments

  1. I love this story too. When I read it to kids, I always asked them what they thought it meant.Gosh!! I wish I had recorded all their answers.
    I think it's more about POWER than anything.Those in POWER get to call the shots, and the public usually just fall in line and say what is "PC", or what those in power want to hear.
    It takes a very brave person to make a "stand".

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks Judy - great comment on this story - it does take a brave person to stand out from the crowd.

    ReplyDelete

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