The answer is in your hands!

About 2,200 years ago, a young Greek thought if self-rule was to work for people, they needed to think for themselves. The Greeks were dependent on the oracle for answers, and this young Greek thought that was destroying the people's ability to think for themselves. He devised a plan to change the people's belief in the infallibility of the oracle. His plan was to ask the oracle a series of questions that even an oracle couldn't answer. The questions would involve a hummingbird, which holding in his hand, he would ask the oracle, "Oh, all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing, all-great one, what do I have in my hand?" The young Greek expected the oracle to tell him, "Young man, you have a hummingbird in your hand."

At that point, the young Greek would say, "That is true, all-wise and all-knowing, all-powerful and great one; but tell me, is the bird alive or dead?"

The plan was that if the oracle answered a dead bird, the boy would open his hand and out would fly a live hummingbird. If the oracle said the bird was alive, the young questioner would squeeze the bird in his hand to death. Either way, the oracle had no chance to be right. Therefore, the young Greek would prove the oracle was not all-knowing and could not be trusted on all things.

So, off to the temple goes the young Greek to put his plan to the test. "Oh, all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing, all-great one, what do I have in my hand?" the young Greek asked. "Young man, you have a hummingbird in your hand," answered the oracle. "That is true, all-wise and all-knowing, all-powerful and great one; but tell me, is the bird alive or dead?" was the next question asked. The oracle's reply was, "Young man, the answer to that question is in your hands."