The אמרי נועם of Dzhikov would give a mashal to demonstrate how involving oneself in machlokes will always have a negative impact.
There was once a hungry lion who wished to find a meal in an honorable way. After having starved for three days he gave a mighty roar. The humble horse came to check why the lion is so distressed. The lion told the horse that he is very hungry, and then he instructed him to smell his mouth and tell him if there is a bad odor due to his hunger. The horse replied in the affirmative, and the lion pounced upon the opportunity and declared 'what an audacity to tell your king that his mouth smells, I will now eat you up as a punishment.' Three days later the lion was hungry again. He roared once more and this time the wolf came to his service. The hungry lion asked the wolf if his mouth smelled, and the wolf - having learned a lesson from the fate of the horse - replied in the negative. Again, the lion pounced on the opportunity and declared 'you have lied to your king, I will now consume you as a punishment.'
Three days later the lion was ready for another meal. Upon roaring, the wily fox asked the lion what the problem is. Again, the lion asked whether his mouth smells. The fox having learnt from the fate of the poor horse and wolf, demurred. He said 'I am so sorry, but I am terribly congested and have therefore lost my sense of smell'. He knew that any other answer would prove fatal.
Sometimes one must decline from offering an opinion completely. In the case of a machlokes one must 'loose his sense of smell'. For aligning with any side, or offering any opinion continues to fan the flames of discord, with assured fatal results רח״ל.