One day an army came and overran the castle, making off with half the treasury. The king decided to tell the people he must increase taxes to make up for the loss. He called in one of the court wise men.
“How can I break the news without inciting a revolt?” he asked.
The wise men pondered – that’s his job – and came up with a gentle way of explaining the theft as a tragedy for the entire kingdom, imploring the people for their support. It went over well.
Time passes, and once again the neighbouring army raided the castle, this time carting away much of the food stored for the winter. Once again, the king called upon his wise man – by this time, he was known as the Director of Wisdom – and laid bare the facts.
“What can I tell my subjects this time?” the king asked. “They will lose confidence in me if I can’t defend the kingdom’s food and money.”
Again, the wise man pondered. He advised the king to be frank about the loss, but to say only that it had gone to a neighbouring kingdom that seemed to need it desperately. And the king told the people and asked them to work even harder on the year’s harvest. And they did, and all was well.
By the time, the neighbouring army was getting rather good at raids. Once again they struck, hauling away horses, hay, other foodstock, and most of the royal jewels. Once again, the king summoned his trusted advisor, the VP of Wisdom and Sagely Advice. This time, the king was despondent.
“They raid the treasury. They take our food. They steal our livestocks,” the king wailed. “And the queen’s going to kill me about those jewels. You are my most trusted advisor. What shall I do?”
The wise man hesitated. “I think,” he said. “I think the time has come for Your Highness to put the water back in the moat.”
The moral of the story is simple: solve a basic problem, and you won’t have as many public relations problems.
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