According to the great mystic Rumi, public service starts with a smile. He advises us to always wear a smile on our faces, for this is the first step of service to mankind. The next one is to always be considerate of others and speak politely, never in such a way that would hurt their feelings. To demonstrate this point he offers the following story.
A King wanted to know the future, so he called the best fortune teller in his kingdom to give him a reading. The fortune teller sadly informed the King that his son would kill him, and that will be his end. Immediately, the King ordered the fortune teller's death, "Off with his head." Then the King called a hundred other fortune tellers to his court and asked them for a reading. They all head the same answer for the King, "Your son will kill you."
And so it was "Off with their heads."
The King was persistent, he did not give up. He brought another fortune teller to his court and asked him for a reading. This one consulted his divining tools and told the King, "Your majesty, you will never know any sorrow from your son."
The King was happy with the answer he got and the fortune teller's life was spared.
The difference between this fortune teller and the 101 before him was that this one delivered the message in the nicest possible way. He did not lie. He did not say, "Your son will not kill you." He said, "You will never know any sorrow from your son." That was the truth; the King died never knowing any sorrow from his son, albeit he died by the son's hand.
The point of the story is that even in dire circumstances, it is possible to say things in a way and not hurt the person's feelings.
This, unfortunately, seems to be a lost art in our time. People are becoming more and more brash. They are in your face, inconsiderate and down right rude.
But, we have the power to change all that. It starts with a smile.
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