WHEN PROVERBS GO WRONG

PRADEEP V KAMAT
Proverbs are small, snappy sayings filled with punch, conveying deep meaning and insight about life, human nature, and the world around us. They are also called ‘ short cut wisdom.’.
Proverbs did not appear overnight but evolved from wisdom and experiences of smart, intelligent and also common people from across thousands of years.
They have brought about discipline, manners, and order in our day-to-day life. They have shaped and influenced human behaviour for centuries.
Proverbs are taught to us right from the time we join the nursery if I am not exaggerating. At school level we learnt them by rote without knowing the meaning.
A case in point -which reminds me of an incident of which memories are still vivid in my mind. As a good child when I tried to put into practice a newly learnt adage ‘slow and steady wins the race’ at 200m run at school sports, I stood last as I was running slow and steady thinking that I will win the race! I became a laughing stock and people gathered started asking me whether I was not keeping well. ! That day I cried a lot. But that’s another story.
The proverb ‘Silence is Golden’ doesn’t hold true in many circumstances in today’s world. Take Goa for example, because of our susegad and silent nature, ministers, MLAs, high profile babus, bureaucrats took advantage and looted Goa for years and are still looting. May it be land grab scam, mining ,power rebate ,cash for job…,besides Corruption and scandals in sports or other activities.
Another adage ‘Patience and perseverance pays’, goes wrong on many occasions. My neighbour Mr Maximilian (pseudonym) who came down for good from the UK after retirement told me the other day that he waited for a full eight months to get the file cleared in spite of having all required documents pertaining to his upcoming bungalow. “My patience and perseverance never paid, rather I paid one of the senior officers in charge, and the file which was in cold storage for all those months began to move fast the very next day!”
Then again another proverb which comes to my mind here is ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’, which is a misnomer in certain circumstances. Not every cloud carries a silver lining. For example, there are millions of people across the Globe living in abject poverty without two square meals, enough clothing, and a roof over their head. Their life is miserable, engulfed in dark clouds with no sight for a better future (silver lining).
In some situations proverbs are used to describe a thing or a person to magnify his image where in fact the opposite is true. The other day a notorious criminal near our village, succumbed to grievous head injury which he received in a self-driven bike accident when he hit the divider. While his body lay in his house adorned with garlands, people gathered could be heard condoling his death saying, ‘all good things come to an end!’