Call A Spade A Spade

It is common proverb. It means to speak plainly without trying to hide one’s opinion. It is in the front of an advice. If we feel that somebody is wrong we should tell him that he is wrong. We should not hide our feelings. But it is easier said than done. The first point is that we are afraid of the consequences. So we hide our true feelings and do not say that somebody is in the wrong. In modern world, this us called to be tactful, to be practical, or ‘to be diplomatic’. Most of us hide our feelings when our boss says or does something wrong. We do not want to offend the boss, because he may take an action against us. We fear bad impression , a bad report, loss of a promotion or even dismissal. But if we say what a feel, the boss may be saved from some bad or harmful action in the interest of the whole department or company. The boss may get angry at the time, but is sure to realise your worth in the long run. You may earn his goodwill as well as promotion. It is not possible to say our opinion plainly everywhere and every-time. It is also important how we say something. If we oppose somebody, we should keep in mind the way we speak. If we sound polite and seem to be rational, the person who is opposed will not mind. But if we simply tell him that he is wrong in crude way , and give no reason in favour of our opinion, we are likely to be misjudged. So we should call a spade a spade, but at the same time we should be careful not to hurt the feelings of anyone. It is not easy to keep a balance between being open and being tactful. It is an art which must be learnt, if we want to advance in life. There are situations in which we must speak our mind, particularly if somebody’s action going to harm a large number of persons. But then there are situations in which we should keep quiet and wait for the right time to say our mind. Anything, said at the wrong time, however good or desirable will be counter-productive.