• Home
  • The Books
    • All Books
    • Inside Room 913
    • Miscarriage Of Justice
    • Over My Dead Body
    • The Journey
    • Wynn Garrett Series
  • Wynn Garrett Series
  • The Bookstore
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • The Art
  • Photos
  • Merchandise
  • Contact
Bruce A. Borders - Author

Old Adages Can Be Wrong

12/10/2012

0 Comments

 
I’ve always had a hard time accepting the so-called wisdom of adages, those short little sayings that are supposed to hold great pieces of good advice. To my way of thinking, adages are only there to see if I can prove them wrong. A few examples:

A watched pot never boils. Not true. I’ve tested the theory myself. Back when I first heard this one, I knew it couldn’t be true. The laws of physics don’t have an exclusion clause written into them that says I actually have to watch or they won’t work. Yet, for some reason, I had to prove it – if only to myself.

Being too little to reach the stove – or the sink – I scooted a dining room chair into the kitchen to make myself taller. After retrieving a pot, I filled it partway with water, set it on the stove, and turned on the burner. Then I stood by on my chair – watching. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the water was boiling rapidly. So much for the old adage.

A stitch in time saves nine. Really? How can anyone ever be sure? A stitch in time may save an unknown amount of stitches later but can we really put a definite number on it? And it may not save any at all. What if the stitch is done in a hurry? Ten or more may then be required to fix things. In that case, a stitch in time saved absolutely nothing.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Not if you have a shotgun in the other hand. I’d say a shotgun in the hand is worth an awful lot of birds in the bush – or the hand for that matter.

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Okay, in the first place, no one I’ve ever heard of wanted to catch flies. What most people want to do is get rid of the flies – kill them. And a flyswatter does a much better job of that than either vinegar or honey.

Never judge a book by its cover. There is a billion dollar industry that constantly disproves this. Everyone’s heard the saying and still, everybody does it.

There are many more I could use to illustrate my point but I think you get the picture. The fact is I like to argue, to challenge conventional wisdom. I don’t feel complete unless I question things. Perhaps being obstinate is just in my blood.

However, my argumentative nature does have its drawback now and then. Back to my little test, where I left off with me standing on the chair. After the water came to a rolling boil, I was satisfied; too busy enjoying my moment to pay attention to anything else. I jumped down, leaving the chair where it sat and leaving the pot of water on the stove. And being a kid, I didn’t turn off the burner either. You can guess what happened next – and yes, I did get into a little trouble. But it was worth it. It all led me to come up with a little saying of my own – an adage, I guess. “An unwatched pot will boil over.”

Bruce A. Borders, author and songwriter, has over 500 songs and more than a dozen books. Over My Dead Body, The Journey, and Miscarriage Of Justice, his latest books, are available on Apple I-Pad®, Amazon Kindle®, Barnes & Noble Nook® and Sony Reader®, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords. For more information, visit www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. See Bruce’s Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/author/bruceaborders or view his Smashwords Profile at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BruceABorders
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Author

    Bruce A. Borders is the author of crime-fiction and action books.

    To subscribe to this blog - Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    My Zimbio
    View my profile on LinkedIn
    Picture
    Picture

    88x31

    These and other products featuring the artwork of Bruce A. Borders
    available at the Merchandise Store.
    Shop Now

    Archives

    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011

    Picture
    Book Promotions
    AskDavid.com
    Writers Digest Shop
    Advertise Here
    DBW_150x200
    Buy one get one free canvases!
    123 Quick Cash Loan
    WCC Vehicle Xmas 4
© 2011-2018, Bruce A. Borders/Borders Publishing
✕