Tea Bag Wisdom

A couple of years back I decided to avoid caffeine and switched to drinking herbal teas instead of coffee. Often tea manufacturers will use the space on the little paper tags to put inspirational quotes or words of wisdom. Most of the time they are pretty straightforward; and nothing one would dispute.

Example: “No one can make you feel inferior without your cooperation” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

That is a cool sentiment and one of my favorites. Nothing much to debate here.

My current tea of choice (Egyptian Licorice tea by YOGI – for anyone who cares) has sayings that sound like they were written by the Sphinx from "Mystery Men".
Here is today’s: “May your light become a living universal light”. Um, Yeah. Okay.

And then there is the occasional one which really leaves me scratching my head.

Example: “Fear turns fools into wise men.”

Ummm, No, I don’t think so. In my experience, fear makes people act more rashly, make bad choices, behave defensively, and respond to situations without thinking things through. Fear impairs one’s ability to think and act rationally; to make wise decisions. Fear causes panic. The idea that fear would make someone wiser just doesn’t work.

Hey, Celestial Seasonings, how about this on your tea bags instead?:
“Where fear is present, wisdom cannot be.” - Lactantius