There once was a traveler who climbed a great mountain to ask a wise man, "How can i make a point?"
After thinking for a moment, the sage responded "Well, don't tell them directly."
The traveler was confused. "Wait, wouldn't that be the best way?"
The sage raised an eyebrow, "Who's the smart guy here?"
"Dunno, does HE have indoor plumbing Mr. All-Natural-No-Ply?" The traveler could only guess that voice belonged to Mrs. Sage and that perhaps a 48 roll pack of tribute would have been better than the fresh berries and spices he had packed.
The Sage simply glared toward the back of the cave for a few seconds before continuing. "Look, people don't want direct. They hate it. It confuses them, and they never remember what you're talking about anyway. They want to be entertained."
The traveler was distracted by a bird. The Sage sighed heavily, entered the cave and returned a moment later. As he slipped behind a large bush, two sock puppets appeared above.
"Hullo Mr. Right" the Sage squeaked in a strangely twisted voice. The puppet's mouth moved a few seconds later as the Sage remembered he needed to do that. "Hullo! Mr. Left" replied the other puppet, with the same falsetto voice. The Sage continued on "So, Mr. Left, what do Jesus, Aesop and Grimm have in common? i don't know Mr. Right, lousy agents?" Mr Left was immediately checked by a rather fist like Mr. Right. "No, Mr. Left, they all used allegories and parables to pass along valuable lessons which stay with us today. What are some of those lessons, Mr. Left?"
"Uhm, don't chuck oyster stones at pigs, animals are bastards, and stay out of the f'ing woods?" the Traveler interjected.
Both Left and Right stared at him for a minute while a low, elderly, grumbling sigh emanated from the bush. "No,… besides those."
"Oh, well, there are so many really, i mean there's the…" the traveler realized why allegories worked, quickly thanked the old man, violently shook Mr. Right by the head for a moment and raced down the mountain working on a take of a tortoise and a hydro-electrical plant.
The Sage tossed the puppets back onto the bush and picked through the tribute the traveler brought. "Great, berries" the sage replied, "like i can't get enough of those. Ah well, i suppose it's good enough for the answer i gave."
The old man turned and headed back into the cave. "i hate parables."
