Tiny Devotional for Thanksgiving Day, 11/26/2020

A HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we have four home-made sweet potato pies, and if I had these when I was little, I never would have looked at pumpkin pie.

Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness,
Or you will also be like him.
Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves,
So that he will not be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:4-5, NASB

Concerning questions and answers:
Some questions are traps, often more sinister than “Have you stopped beating your wife?”
Example:

“Does this dress make me look fat?” 

Gentlemen, the best response to that question is to fake a heart attack. Or actually have one, if you can’t fake it, but that may be taking it a bit too far. It’s up to you.

Questions that are asked by people who are really seeking answers deserve the best you have. Sometimes, the best you have is “I don’t know.” If you can refer the person to someone who MIGHT know, do that.

Fools ask questions, and then answer them.  It’s to “prove” some obscure point no one is interested in, or to deflect attention away from some personal short-coming:
“Well, what about…” followed by some inane exception to a common principle. 

Context matters, and it’s context which tells you whether you are dealing with a fool or a truth-seeker.  For fools, I think the best response is "purple." True, it's a non-sequitur, but the fool isn't interested in wisdom anyway, and "purple" is more fun to say than most words. 
It will also demonstrate that you aren’t interested in engaging at that level, and it saves words and time.
It's up to you.

Peace be on your household.