Proverbs, are not a left wing conspiracy.

Are you familiar with the saying, “Feed a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime." If not, let me assue you the expression is not part of a slick marketing campaign for Birds Eye Fish Fingers.

This little bit of wisdom is otherwise known as a proverb.  Proverbs, are not a left wing conspiracy or an underground political movement. Proverbs are an often repeated saying that express some sort of truth. For example:

 

• A stitch in time saves nine;
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush;
• You can lead a horse to water, but let the jockey ride in the Melbourne Cup.

 

Proverbs have been with us for thousands of years. The fish proverb is commonly used and referenced as originating in ancient China. How ancient? Well it is hard to say as it could have originated before fake Nike Air Jordans or after the invention of Dim Sims. However, like Dani Minogue’s celebrity status, nobody is quite sure from whence it came but it persists and is here to stay.

 

There are two levels of wisdom/truth being conveyed by the fish proverb (or " fush bro" proverb if you are a Kiwi).  The simplistic view is that people eat fish/fush bro. The more complicated view is that teachers don’t loose their jobs in a global financial crisis (I told you it was complicated).

 

While important people encouraged you to use proverbs, you should take care when and where you express the fish proverb.  For example, you should probably refrain from using it while attending fish markets.  It is also a good idea to avoid using it in discussions regarding the redrawing of NSW Marine Park boundaries. Saying it in an Australian accent while visiting New Zealand is also likely to create confushion.

 

You could use the fish proverb at the footy or even at your next parent teaching meeting (especially if your kid is a little arsehole), I’ll leave it up to you.  People often have a hard time accepting the truth, so exercise its use at your discretion (note, discretion is not a gym).

 

Whether or not you use or misuse the fish proverb it will persist for many years.  While the age and exact origin remains unknown (notwithstanding the investigations of Queensland State of Origin rugby league selectors), you can safely assume it did not originate during the Industrial Age, otherwise it may have been expressed as: “Feed a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime (which surely will end with mercury poisoning.)"