Hi all,
Welcome to part 3 of my fortune cookie examination.
A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not why ships are built.
I thought this was among the best fortunes in the bunch. The message is clear, there is some entertainment value, and the fortune is broadly true (unless you’ve just shared scallion pancakes with a committed nitpicker).
Of course, broadly true is another way to say...
True, False, or Racist?
False.
Speaking of nitpickers, let’s take a moment to pick those nits…
First, ships in harbor aren’t always safe. There are storms, for example, that might wreck havoc on a resting vessel. The ship could also come under attack from nautical threats such as poorly steered ocean liners, suicidal blue whales, or determined pirates.
I also reject the notion that all ships are built to leave the harbor – some boats seem designed to sit in port and serve as symbols of wealth and status to all us suckers with our feet stuck on dry land.
Keep it or chuck it?
Keep it.
I know this breaks from the pattern of chucking any false fortune but as I noted I do like this one. You should keep what you like, I say.
A true friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
This is another classic fortune cookie technique – cook up some feel-good nonsense that no one really wants to dispute. Well, let me tell you, reader, that I think this message establishes unreasonable standards for friendship. Sure, it’s nice to have friends who will support you during difficult times, but is that grounds for separating friends into ‘true’ and ‘untrue’ categories?
The bigger problem here is the notion of the world walking out. What does that even mean? Look, I’m stung whenever my acquaintances appear entirely disinterested about my various sufferings but on a planet of seven billion people – many suffering far worse than me – expecting The World to care about my petty grievances is a selfish position. The world never walks out because the world is never there to begin with.
True, False, or Racist?
False, unless you’re looking for an excuse to cut friends out of your life.
Keep it or chuck it?
Chuck it.
Try this thought instead – true friends give what they can and expect nothing back.
