Friday, October 22, 2021

day no. 15,705: a matter of taste

Job 34:3
The ear tests words as the palate tastes food.

Words and food are a matter of taste. Some things are easy to love like compliments and candy, and some things require more effort like constructive criticism and kale; but just as a palate can be trained to enjoy things that are good for it, so can ears.

The unrefined palate cannot distinguish what's in the dish being served to it. It digs in, but does not discern the ingredients. A refined palate can catch hints of saffron, cinnamon or truffle. Discernment takes work. It is easier, of course, to go with your gut. You either like it or you don't, and you don't care why or what good the thing could be for you. You reject what tastes bad or what sounds harsh.

Hebrews 5:14
Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Discernment can be trained just like palates. You can teach yourself how to enjoy things that are good for you even when they do not at first taste good. You can acquire a taste for mature things that a child would never gravitate toward without guidance. You can also develop the ability to discern what ingredients are present in what's being served to you so that you can source sentences and know when you're being served sugar-coated lies or when the soup needs more salt.

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