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Yakkety-Yak..!

The tongue has no bones but it can break your back… Spanish Proverb

Telephone rates, I’ve heard are becoming cheaper still; I wonder what and to whom we’re going to chat as talk gets free? 

Years ago, as a school going kid, I had an uncle who stayed with us for a short while and who was interested every evening on working his cross word, while my brother and I were keen on school news and class room gossip. After patiently bearing our schoolboy chatter for a while, my uncle in good humour would shout. “If you guys have finished your yaketty yak, may I concentrate on 4 across and 9 down..!

Yaketty Yak, yak, yak, yak, yaketty yak..!

We have as a world become creatures of the mouth.

Like I said telephone companies and cell operators are minting money because of this new past time. Yaketty yak, yaketty yak, we go at a hundred words a minute. Unfortunately world and national leaders have caught on to this universal weakness and are exploiting it to its fullest. From public platforms and in front of TV camera, in Parliament and ramparts of red forts they shout and scream and inflame people with ceaseless chatter.

Aesop, the philosopher of the fables, was asked one day what was the most useful thing in the world. “The tongue,” he replied. “And what,” they asked, “is the most harmful thing in the world?” “The tongue,” he replied once more.

Aesop went farther to illustrate his point.

Three bulls that fed in a field together had the greatest of peace and safety. A lion had long watched them in the hope of making prey of them, but found little chance so long as they kept together.

He therefore began to secretly spread evil and slanderous reports of one against the other, till he fermented jealousy and distrust among them. Soon they began to avoid each other and each took to feeding alone. This gave the lion the opportunity it had been waiting. He fell on them singly and made an easy prey of them all..!   

A wagging tongue destroys all in its path.

Have you heard about the Trappist monastery, whose superior decided to permit a periodic lifting of the silence rule?

Well, one morning at breakfast he said, “Brother Michael, you may make an observation,” and Michael after considerable thought commented. “The marmalade in this place is too chunky.”

Five years later the dispensation was repeated and the superior asked Brother Ignatius whether he would like to make a remark. Brother Ignatius mumbled, “I find it too watery,” and the monastery went back to silence for another five years.

The superior then invited Brother Peter to say something. “I think,” said Brother Peter, “there’s too much controversy in this place!”

I hear same uncle of mine, long dead and gone, shouting from somewhere: “Bob, there’s too much yaketty- yak coming from you, I can’t concentrate on 4 across and 9 down!”

I smile and end this piece.

 

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