Needed: A Court Jester

After watching the goings on and screaming matches about the political situation including "health care reform" I've decided we need to re-institute the office of "Court Jester." The Court Jester was allowed to speak the truth no matter what the consequences. He was the only one who could kid the king, rib the king, tell the king that he did not really have any clothes on....and in so doing the Jester would not get his head chopped off. Others who might say the same things were banished or executed for shedding light on the subject, but the Jester was exempt because he dressed funny and wore a silly hat that made him the "fool" who could speak the truth.

Somebody needs a "free space" in bingo to be able to tell all the talking heads and all the pundits to put a sock in it while someone goes behind the curtain and comes out and tells us all "the truth" even if it hurts, makes us mad, or causes us to sacrifice. We need a "good fool" in the old tradition rather than the many faces that are presently making fools of themselves.

A wisdom teacher that I look up to and who was accused in more than one instance of being "foolish" once said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Another person who tried to follow in the footsteps of this "fool" later said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you miserable."

The real truth is often hard. Sometimes I don't like to hear the truth especially if it gets up close and personal. I've discovered the hard way that somewhere in my life I need a "Court Jester" who will pull back the curtain and tell me the truth. My wife finds that "silly hat" once in a while and takes on this role. I do everything I can do to hide the hat. No, there's not really a hat..but you know what I mean.

Whose head have you wanted to chop off lately? If you are like me you might want to think twice about what they are saying. Don't get me wrong, some of those voices are real foolish loud mouths, but somewhere in every life and in every nation we need a "real" fool to tell us the truth.

Bless you,
jody jseymour@davidsonumc.org