Be Tactful
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” - Isaac Newton
"People with tact have less to retract." - Arnold H. Glasow
How we express our thoughts determines how it is perceived. Thus, it is very important to express our thoughts with clarity and diplomacy.
Look at the photo or read the story below that illustrates this point:
A King woke up dreaming about losing all his teeth. He summoned a very well known fortune teller of his kingdom to interpret his dream. "All losing teeth means the death of the whole family...", the fortune teller responded. Like stricken by thunder, the king got very angry, and he was very furious about it. So he ordered a sentence of 20 times whip to be given to the fortune teller.
The king was still curious by then, and so he again summoned another fortune teller of the kingdom.
After listening to the story, the fortune teller with a smile said,"The dream is saying that Your Highness is the luckiest person in the whole world. You will live longer than the rest of the other family members." Having heard the explanation, a bright smile cracked in the king's face. He was delighted and awarded 5 gold coins to the fortune teller.
"Silence is not always tact, and it is tact that is golden, not silence." - Samuel Butler
One of the basic causes for all the trouble in the world today is that people talk too much and think too little. They act impulsively without thinking.
Let us learn to be tactful, considerate and respectful when we speak. What do you think?
Related posts:
- Be careful how you say things
- Be Polite To All
- Be a gentleman - Speak Softly, Don't Argue!
- Learn to communicate your thoughts
- The Way You Speak
12 comments:
Welcome back Sam!
I wish I had this wisdom when I was younger. My how rash and quick we are with our words in our youth. That was true for me anyway.:o)
I am so grateful I wizened up! I guess it is fair to say many people never learn this and that is sad.
Again, great to see you back.
Blessings,
Tawnya
This is very tactful of the hotel indeed!!!
I should be tactful all times but I could not help myself sometimes and I do it without knowing that it hurts other people especially friends. I usually dont talk bad but I guess I had a friend who is a very sensitive flower. Now, she is not talking to me since I last see her. Its like 8 months already. I dont know whats wrong, she never tells me. Only she gone silent directly, lol.
Life sometimes is not fair, lol.
Yupp, tactful is what I need to practice next, hehehehe.
Hi Tawnya,
Thanks. I really value your participation. You are really very frank and sincere.
BTW, I will now focus more on my new blog (http://self-study-mandarin.blogspot.com/) with the aim of learning mandarin.
Blessings to you, Tawnya.
Thanks Karen for dropping by and giving me your feedback.
FYI, I had just started my new blog that I had mentioned about two weeks ago. Well, check it out if you are interested. The link is available under this blog banner.
Blessings to you, Karen.
Hi Haze,
Thanks for sharing your true experience where it does show that tactfulness is helpful at all times but somehow we may not know that we lack it.
I hope your friend will understand you and become close to you again soon.
Blessings to you, Haze.
Hi Sam..I enjoyed the story of the fortune tellers and the KiNG! Its difficult for some people to be tactful,at times,without even meaning it I suppose,their words often have a negative effect on those around them.
I think we all need to be more tactful,that way no-ones feelings need to be hurt,lol, and hopefully, the King will not whip us,but reward us instead!
I visited your Mandarin Site...but I think I need to get some language support loaded before I return...I am seeing too many ??? question marks :)
wishing a wonderful day to you and your family
good to see u again
today people talk too much and think too little. They act impulsively without thinking.
that is very right ...i hope it can be changed some day
blessings
Hi Jesse,
I am glad you enjoyed the story. We need the Wisdom from above so that we can be tactful at all times. Let's be watchful so that whatever words we utter are edifying. We must quick to listen but slow to speak.
Thanks for visiting my new blog. Indeed, you need to configure your Windows to support Chinese text. There is instruction on the side bar. Hope that helps.
Lots of love to you Jesse.
Hi Lili,
Thanks for dropping by.
May we have all the necessary wisdom to be tactful at all times.
Blessings to you Lili.
"Not so fast" is a phrase that comes to mind as I meditate on the message of tact and wisdom (and the axiom that he who has tact has less to retract). By this, I mean that "tact" (as demonstrated by the fortune teller example) is a receiver-oriented concept. Certainly the second teller had less to retract, but he had much more to tell; indeed, the King should have heeded his warning of familial doom. The honest and urgent teller was wrongly punished for delivering the more complete interpretation. Thus, the moral of this parable is only that tact is profitable, economically, but may be ethically inferior to full disclosure. It is a tough choice for some, but perhaps wisdom is found not in tact but assessing when to use it.
I am glad you enjoyed the story. We need the Wisdom from above so that we can be tactful at all times. Let's be watchful so that whatever words we utter are edifying. We must quick to listen but slow to speak.
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