There is an old story which exemplifies the use of wit not only for one’s own good but that of others too. It goes on somewhat like this:

A miser is drowning close to the banks of a river and is shouting for help. There is a small crowd close by, who are discussing how best to  save him. In the meanwhile, the miser, aided by the current of the river, reached close to the banks of the river after frantically splashing his arms in the water around his neck. On seeing him reach close, a young man lunged forward and shouted loudly, ‘Give me your hand’. The miser ignored him as if he had not listened to what this man was telling him to do. The young man repeated his command even louder and yet the miser did not yield again. Now the young man was running parallel to the banks of the river where the miser kept on flowing with the current of the water. Had the current changed course, it was certain that he would drown. The young man was running close to the drowning man and yet, the drowning person wouldn’t give his hand despite all the prompting that he got. There was a wise man in the crowd who too was running with the young man. He extended his hand to the miser in water and said, ‘Here, take my hand’. The miser caught on to his hand in a flash, and was thus saved.

It is a common day experience that no matter how good your intentions are, many a times you are struggling with the ‘WIIFH’ quotient. WIIFH is the short for ‘What’s in it for him’. The ability to sound right in the other person’s interest is not easy. It is only employing the right amount of wit that a desired result can be achieved. If you doubt me, ask any married man, or for that matter any  person who is living with another person irrespective of the nomenclature that they give to their relationship.

Another good example that comes to my mind is the stage scene of the Shakespearian plays in the early Nineteenth century. The fashion of the day for women was defined by the largeness of their hats. 

Most women tried to outdo each other by wearing the biggest possible hat they could buy. And they would come to see the play with their hat on, much to the dismay of the people sitting behind them as their view was being blocked. The requests were made to the ladies repeatedly and yet to no avail. One day a bright idea came from someone to put up a banner on the stage, saying ‘Old ladies look the best in their large hats’. Needless to say, it worked.

Scoreven gives a shit about you, while keeping you safe from the bullshit of others