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        New Message Board Archives >> 2005 General Board Posts >> Can you answer this riddle?
        
(Message started by: Ghost on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:05pm)

Title: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Ghost on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:05pm

Here is a pretty neat little thing from Paul Harvey. See if you can guess the riddle at the end.

Paul Harvey Writes:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.
I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.
When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her..
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.
Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

Paul Harvey RIDDLE:
When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford University seniors.

What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Gator on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:15pm

NOTHING

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Dave_Emond on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:22pm

I can only come up with:
Nothing is greater than God.
(Voiding the rest of the riddle) [smiley=huh.gif]
Dave

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Margi on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:29pm

Thanks a lot, Ghost - now I have to go re-do my makeup and mop up my keyboard.

Right after I email this to my daughters to give to my grandbabies. ;)

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Ghost on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:39pm

Gator is good he got it right away ;;D and Dave too!
I thought I'd finially stump you guys! [smiley=laugh.gif]
Oh well I tried. ;;D ;;D ;;D ;;D

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by cootie on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:48pm

compassion

hugs smiles kisses and well wishes Pam

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by marlinsfan on Dec 15^th, 2005, 1:37pm

on 12/15/05 at 12:39:42, Ghost wrote:

I thought I'd finially stump you guys!

You stumped me. I read it before any replies and did not know the answer....

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by sandie99 on Dec 15^th, 2005, 1:49pm

I'm very bad at riddles. So I waited to see the answers... ;;D

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Melissa on Dec 15^th, 2005, 2:02pm

disposable diapers!!! :D

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Ghost on Dec 15^th, 2005, 2:34pm

on 12/15/05 at 14:02:22, Melissa wrote:

disposable diapers!!! :D

[smiley=spit.gif] [smiley=bow.gif] [smiley=bow.gif] [smiley=bow.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif]

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by cootie on Dec 15^th, 2005, 2:48pm

Do puppy wee-wee pads rate too then ? Stinkee-pupp-pee Pam :-/

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by burnt-toast on Dec 16^th, 2005, 10:50am

Paul Harvey didn't write the essay. The true author of this piece is Lee Pitts, and it was published in his 1995 book People Who Live At The End of Dirt Roads and appeared in the 2000 book Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul.

Paul Harvey does use material written by Lee Pitts from time to time, and he did read this particular essay (crediting Pitts, of course) in a September 1997 broadcast.

The riddle is also falsely attributed to Paul Harvey.

The claims regarding "80% of kindergarten kids" and "17% of Stanford University seniors" are inserted merely to dress out a leg-pull — no one tested the riddle on either of those two groups, let alone comparied one set of results against the other.

Yet the underlying truth is not: Small children would have a much easier time working out the correct riddle than would adults. As with most riddles, the answer to this one is mind-numbingly simple, yet many will not think of it because to do so requires a literal view of language. Something youngsters start out with yet lose somewhere in their childhood as words come to have myriads of meanings rather than one.

The answer is indeed " ". As " " is greater than God, " " is more evil than the devil, the rich need " ", the poor have " " , and if you eat " ", you will die.

I'm glad I could clear this up.

Tom

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Ghost on Dec 16^th, 2005, 10:59am

by the way burnt with the wrong answer "as" is not the answer "Nothing" is the answer. I know how you like to correct others so i felt you should be ok with being corrected.
Glad I could clear that up for you too.

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by burnt-toast on Dec 16^th, 2005, 11:01am

Read between the quotes - as you and Gator corrrectly point out " " is the answer ;)

The answer is indeed "nothing". As "nothing" is greater than God, "nothing" is more evil than the devil, the rich need "nothing", the poor have "nothing" , and if you eat "nothing", you will die.

Tom

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by Ghost on Dec 16^th, 2005, 11:04am

I do stand corrected ;;D
I wasnt paying attention was I! :-X [smiley=laugh.gif]

Mike ;;D

Title: Re: Can you answer this riddle?
Post by burnt-toast on Dec 16^th, 2005, 11:06am

It was a fun riddle and I was hoping to keep it going for you by giving " " as the answer.

Tom