Riddle that's been giving me fits for going on a year now...anyone?

Factual Questions
1

About a year ago now an acquaintance of mine told me a riddle. I thought and thought, but couldn’t come up with anything, and the bastard just wouldn’t give me the answer. I spent the next two weeks thinking near constantly about it, after which I kind of gave up. Every once in a while, though, I’ll find it sitting there on my hard drive, mocking me. I’ve searched all over the Internet for this thing, but haven’t found it anywhere, nor have I found any possible clue to its answer. I therefore entrust it to the capable minds of the Masses, hoping there’s someone out there who knows because I have completely fucking given up. Here goes:

“What is it that not many like, but directs even the greatest of kings’ actions? It is much like a blade, and made to hurt, but it has never killed anyone, even though wounding thousands. It spans the whole world and makes life fit. The greatest kingdoms it has built, and founded the oldest one of them all, but never has it begun a war, and those who believe in it will be fit forever more.
What is it?”

Riddle me this. Pretty please.

2

Answer: TRUTH

3

Truth?

I don’t know. That’s just the first thing that came to my mind.

4

Aerobics.

Redboss

5

If Walloon and I came up with the correct answer, then three minutes isn’t bad for a one-year wait.

6

I’m still trying to think of what the “oldest kingdom of them all” is. Sumeria, maybe?

7

I’m thinking that would be G-d’s kingdom.

8

That was one of the first replies I sent to the guy, way back when he first gave me the riddle. His answer was something along the lines of “Nope. That’s usually the first thing people come up with, but it isn’t the answer.”

He gave me a green light on sending him an e-mail with all the possible replies I could think of, and over the course of a sporadic correspondence lasting slightly under a year, I’ve long since run through all the obvious riddle-type answers (Love, Truth, God, Religion, Hate, Wind, Air, Fire, Candle, Rhinoceros*, Tipper Gore** etc.).

So, if you’ve got any ideas, please keep 'em coming. :slight_smile:

  • Kidding here.

** Here also.

9

morality or conscience?

10

Those are pretty good, but surely they both have killed?

11

Yep, they were good answers, but ForbiddenFruitsalad had a good point. That, along with the “much like a blade, and made to hurt” part, tend to debunk any answer that’s inherently (or at least superficially) positive in nature, like love, conscience, wisdom etc. Again, square one. :slight_smile:

But keep 'em coming, by all means.

12

The guy here says it’s either “consciousness” or “conscience”. (Somebody guessed both and he said it was correct without specifying which he meant.)

13

Could it be “hard work”? “Hard work never killed anyone” is a trite expression you often hear, even if it isn’t true and you could say that not many like it and that if you believe in it you will be fit. Doesn’t fit some of the other clues though.

14

The answer is “conscience”

15

I’m getting hung up on “made to hurt”.
I’m far too sober to discuss the reason behind the creation of the concepts of truth and conscience, but I’ll bet they weren’t designed to cause pain.
I suppose ‘pain’ itself could be an answer. “…those who believe in it” (and thus avoid it), “will be fit for ever more.”

16

Labour or work would be my guess–it certainly does make you fit.

17

Does that imply it’s something man-made?
This impies intention.
It is created for the purpose of hurting.
A weapon of some sort?

But it’s mentioned twice that it makes you fit.
Made to hurt, but makes you fit.
Such a conumdrum.

18

Fear?

19

I suppose “knowledge of good and evil” is too ponderous.

20

Could it be Truth?

People do like to hear the truth – but often not about themselves. In that context, the truth about one’s self, it is something that not many like.

Government power is very dependent on the manipulation of the truth. The Truth directs what is and isn’t told to the people, how foregin relations are conducted, etc.

But a blade wasn’t necessarily made to hurt. Most of my blades are for cutting steak or spreading butter or opening boxes. They have never killed anyone,nor even wounded. So the Truth was “made to hurt” as much as my knives were. But the Truth can be weilded like a weapon and can hurt.

The Truth itself hasn’t killed anyone. People have been killed by people using the truth (for example, a murderer may be executed when the truth about his deeds is discovered), but the truth itself cannot kill.

“The truth hurts.” Yes, the truth can and has caused emotional wounds.

The Truth exists even when it’s hidden. As for making life fit, it seems to me that a good world is one where most of the time you don’t have to deal with deceit.

Subjective, but I agree that a “great” kingdom is one that is built on Truth.

“The Kingdom of Heaven.” Whether you believe or not, TKoH is often used in literature as “the oldest kingdom”.

[quote]
but never has it begun a war,

[quote]

Truth has not caused wars. Men have caused wars. The strategic and tactical intelligence itself has not caused war, only allowed men to make the decision to begin them.

I think most people would agree that knowing the truth is better than not knowing it, and those who strive to be truthful have a better quality of life, morally speaking, than those who will “live a lie”.

I submit that “Truth” is an acceptable answer to the riddle; and if it is not the answer for which the asker is seeking, then the question is poorly designed.