To do evil is like sport to a fool,
But a man of understanding has wisdom.
The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
And the desire of the righteous will be granted.
When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
Proverbs 10:23-25 (NKJV).
If you've been keeping track of the themes which resonate with me, you know how this passage is going to go. There's a dead horse and I am going to beat it yet again.
Nobody looks wise until after consequences have landed. When the cards haven't been shown, when the dice haven't stopped, when the smoke hasn't cleared, when the dust hasn't settled, when the outcomes have not yet fully matured, there is a time of question, uncertainty. There is an excitement in that uncertainty, in taking a risk and not knowing what will come of your choice.
The problem is that not every choice in life is like this, unless you're a fool.
There are choices which have entirely predictable outcomes.
There are causes which produce the same effect every single time.
All modern technology is based on this being true. Every political system is based on this being true. Every piece of advice, every instruction, every word of warning, every caution, relies on this being true.
It's woven into the very fabric of our existence that there is a reason things happen, and that when we don't know why, that does not mean there is no reason, we just don't know what it is or how to define it.
Solomon discusses the ultimate fates of the wise and the fool so regularly and so frequently because even knowing what will come next, fools will make the same bad choice.
She knows he is bad for her but maybe this time it will be different.
He knows she doesn't respect him, but maybe the sacrifices he makes for her will change her mind.
We see the dynamics of wisdom and foolishness play out in relationships between people all the time. Choices are made not on what is going to be the inevitable result, based on what happened last time, but what we want to happen. We keep thinking that if we try again, maybe this time the odds will be in our favor.
That's our own stupidity on display, and nothing more. It's not about being a "dreamer" or an "ideologue", it's about denying reality in favor of fantasy, and then having the gall to be surprised when our fantasies do not manifest. We don't understand how or why they could, so we'll never learn whether they're even possible.
In this passage, Solomon is highlighting this for us yet again. Fools will view their rejection of wisdom like some sort of game, as if the consequences don't matter, as if all scars heal and go away, as if their ultimate fate is more random chance than anything else, so why not do what you're told not to do and see what happens for yourself?
The problem is that life is not pure chance. Humans behave in patterns, there's reasons why things happen and we can learn about them and adjust our behavior accordingly. This applies from the mundane, like the connection between brushing one's teeth and dental health, to the more intimate, like the consequences on our relationship future based on the attributes our mate possesses.
There are some aspects of life which are randomized, which do not have a clear outcome, but we do not exist in a binary where all outcomes are either all predetermined or all outcomes are random.
There's a mix, but fools act as if their choices don't matter, and then go one step further and turn the rejection of wisdom into sport.
Sometimes the choices we make won't have consequences which come to pass for many years, if not decades. Medical issues are a great demonstration of this, where past choices affect a future that is a very long ways away, or at least we hope.
We eat wrong, thinking that because the bad consequences aren't immediate, maybe they'll never show up at all. We ingest poisons, we do not exercise, we do not take care of our bodies, and by the time we've figured out how foolish we've been? It's often too late to change the path significantly because consequences have already started landing and permanently changing huge chunks of our lives at the same time.
But we invite that upon ourselves through our ignorant arrogance, our foolishness.
This is why Solomon, and in turn I, will keep beating this dead horse, why we'll keep trying to emphasize the value in wisdom in the present so that you can live it out and reap the rewards in due time, instead of only being able to appreciate what wisdom could have done for you, and only reap destruction.
Showing posts with label Wise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wise. Show all posts
6.6.18
Daily Bible Study - Proverbs 10:18-21
Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom.
Proverbs 10:18-21 (NKJV).
Did you know that talking more does not make what you say more valuable?
In the simplest sense, if the demand for you to talk remains the same, but you increase the supply, the relative "cost", based on the "value" of each additional utterance, goes down. If you are stranded in on ocean, what is the value of a single drop of saltwater to you?
In the current era, where perceptions hold so much value, it is counter-intuitive to understand this dynamic. We are to all seek out our 15 minutes of fame, and then find some way to milk that into another 15 minutes, and so on and so forth. We pursue celebrity because of what it affords us, not because of what it means to us, or what it says about us.
Validation, as one example, often comes through spoken word. People will take your words and put them forth as an echo of their own feelings, though your words act as a totem, the means by which their own thoughts can be expressed, and in seeking to express themselves, they also signal validation to the correctness of your own words.
So, if your goal is to get validation from as many as possible, the natural conclusion would then be to express as often and as uniquely as possible, so that you can offer those who are watching a multitude of opportunities to express themselves and bring you validation in return.
The problem is that this is an empty system, it's an exchange of nothing holding tangible value, and yet people's lives are consumed by the dynamic. One cannot be fed from the adoration of another.
It is in this spirit that Solomon then indicates that actions alone are not going to be what differentiates between the wise and the fool, at least within the dimension of verbosity. Fools are not incapable of speaking, in fact they speak so much that what they say has no value. The quantity and quality of speech then cannot be measured like one would gold or silver, more isn't better at all.
If anything, that the more one says, especially if it does not in any way provide benefit to the listener, the more likely that the speaker is simply trying to distract from their own faults and flaws. They speak much so get you fixated on the words they used, or the concepts those words described, that one has no time to really discern if what was said was of value. Who has time to evaluate the last statement made when five more are already on their way?
Do not value based on quantity, because quality when it comes to wisdom is found in the results, not the process. It doesn't take a lot to provide wisdom, though it can require a lot to explain all the details and background behind why what is wise is so.
Take this blog, and the path through Proverbs. Many of these verses have very plain meanings, simple implications, and so instead of trying to add on to that meaning, weaving complex narratives as to the "true meaning", effort is spent trying to explore the meaning already there to the fullest, and then use the backdrop of the world we live in to understand how the words are not dead, but thousands of years on are still as relevant as ever.
That said, and we "know" this, right? That "less is more"? Keep this in mind when interacting with others, provide them first what is useful, and only seek to pontificate further should they be interested in going down that path. Otherwise they'll grow justifiably suspicious as to what you are trying to hide behind your many words.
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom.
Proverbs 10:18-21 (NKJV).
Did you know that talking more does not make what you say more valuable?
In the simplest sense, if the demand for you to talk remains the same, but you increase the supply, the relative "cost", based on the "value" of each additional utterance, goes down. If you are stranded in on ocean, what is the value of a single drop of saltwater to you?
In the current era, where perceptions hold so much value, it is counter-intuitive to understand this dynamic. We are to all seek out our 15 minutes of fame, and then find some way to milk that into another 15 minutes, and so on and so forth. We pursue celebrity because of what it affords us, not because of what it means to us, or what it says about us.
Validation, as one example, often comes through spoken word. People will take your words and put them forth as an echo of their own feelings, though your words act as a totem, the means by which their own thoughts can be expressed, and in seeking to express themselves, they also signal validation to the correctness of your own words.
So, if your goal is to get validation from as many as possible, the natural conclusion would then be to express as often and as uniquely as possible, so that you can offer those who are watching a multitude of opportunities to express themselves and bring you validation in return.
The problem is that this is an empty system, it's an exchange of nothing holding tangible value, and yet people's lives are consumed by the dynamic. One cannot be fed from the adoration of another.
It is in this spirit that Solomon then indicates that actions alone are not going to be what differentiates between the wise and the fool, at least within the dimension of verbosity. Fools are not incapable of speaking, in fact they speak so much that what they say has no value. The quantity and quality of speech then cannot be measured like one would gold or silver, more isn't better at all.
If anything, that the more one says, especially if it does not in any way provide benefit to the listener, the more likely that the speaker is simply trying to distract from their own faults and flaws. They speak much so get you fixated on the words they used, or the concepts those words described, that one has no time to really discern if what was said was of value. Who has time to evaluate the last statement made when five more are already on their way?
Do not value based on quantity, because quality when it comes to wisdom is found in the results, not the process. It doesn't take a lot to provide wisdom, though it can require a lot to explain all the details and background behind why what is wise is so.
Take this blog, and the path through Proverbs. Many of these verses have very plain meanings, simple implications, and so instead of trying to add on to that meaning, weaving complex narratives as to the "true meaning", effort is spent trying to explore the meaning already there to the fullest, and then use the backdrop of the world we live in to understand how the words are not dead, but thousands of years on are still as relevant as ever.
That said, and we "know" this, right? That "less is more"? Keep this in mind when interacting with others, provide them first what is useful, and only seek to pontificate further should they be interested in going down that path. Otherwise they'll grow justifiably suspicious as to what you are trying to hide behind your many words.
30.5.18
Daily Bible Study - Proverbs 10:14
Wise people store up knowledge,
But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
Proverbs 10:14 (NKJV).
You should change "gurus" when they have no longer provide a path to truth. Whether this is a pastor at your church, or someone who shares the same hobby or interests, you should humble yourself and learn as much as you can from their greater experience, but then you must move on.
Wisdom is not itself an action, it's the guidance behind action, and to grow in wisdom you must grow in knowledge so that you can see the patterns in your circumstance and align it to the wisdom and knowledge you've already gained.
Take the earlier portions of Proverbs, for example. If you were to take the information too literally, you'd think that all you need to do to avoid adultery is not walk down particular streets. While "red light" districts are an exception, the true knowledge isn't in the specifics of how the ignorant fool was ensnared, but that he could be ensnared at all and what behaviors would be used by the immoral woman to ensnare him.
Compare this to the old adage about "teaching a man to fish" versus "giving a man a fish". Wisdom is not about giving someone a fish, a single correct answer which, outside that specific problem showing back up again, is essentially useless. Wisdom is about teaching how to fish, teaching the underlying dynamics, the patterns, and growing in knowledge about how all these things can interact with each other to produce unique circumstances where universal truths are still applicable.
In this short passage, the contrast between the wise and foolish is in how they spend time, what it is that could define them. In our lives, we've been around people who talk too much, folks who run at the mouth and don't ever listen. That's the kind of fool being described, because if you persist in speaking, eventually you'll say something that will ensnare you somehow, and the probability of that happening increases the more ignorant you are.
We know this colloquially under the label "inappropriate". Talking about disbursement of inheritance at the memorial service, for example, might be seen as lacking tact. A fool would run off at the mouth and offend their family and generate antagonism out of their ignorance as to the appropriate time to discuss such matters.
It's in this fashion that the words a person uses cannot, by themselves, tell you everything. You need context, and that's where the "wise" who are gathering knowledge will be quick to listen and slow to speak, wisdom which shows up later in scripture.
The fool doesn't know about or doesn't care about the consequences of destruction that their tongue will bring upon them, but the wise will speak, and act, with prudence and intention.
Solomon is drawing attention to this dynamic in the contrast between the wise who could share the knowledge they've gained versus the foolish whose lips will bring destruction.
Any one "guru" will have some sample of truth, a finite collection of useful knowledge, and you will eventually hit their limit and need to continue your journey. With God there is no limit, but we are not really interacting directly with God, but with people who have interacted with God, and whose knowledge is filtered through their own life experiences and ponders.
To continue gathering knowledge, then, you need to learn from people who have had different experiences and combine that with what you've already learned to synthesize your understanding of the universal truths behind the specific occurrences, to find the patterns, to see them play out, and to practice identifying where you are in any one pattern.
You can't do that by talking all the time.You need to listen, to gather knowledge.
“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” - Mark Twain
But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
Proverbs 10:14 (NKJV).
You should change "gurus" when they have no longer provide a path to truth. Whether this is a pastor at your church, or someone who shares the same hobby or interests, you should humble yourself and learn as much as you can from their greater experience, but then you must move on.
Wisdom is not itself an action, it's the guidance behind action, and to grow in wisdom you must grow in knowledge so that you can see the patterns in your circumstance and align it to the wisdom and knowledge you've already gained.
Take the earlier portions of Proverbs, for example. If you were to take the information too literally, you'd think that all you need to do to avoid adultery is not walk down particular streets. While "red light" districts are an exception, the true knowledge isn't in the specifics of how the ignorant fool was ensnared, but that he could be ensnared at all and what behaviors would be used by the immoral woman to ensnare him.
Compare this to the old adage about "teaching a man to fish" versus "giving a man a fish". Wisdom is not about giving someone a fish, a single correct answer which, outside that specific problem showing back up again, is essentially useless. Wisdom is about teaching how to fish, teaching the underlying dynamics, the patterns, and growing in knowledge about how all these things can interact with each other to produce unique circumstances where universal truths are still applicable.
In this short passage, the contrast between the wise and foolish is in how they spend time, what it is that could define them. In our lives, we've been around people who talk too much, folks who run at the mouth and don't ever listen. That's the kind of fool being described, because if you persist in speaking, eventually you'll say something that will ensnare you somehow, and the probability of that happening increases the more ignorant you are.
We know this colloquially under the label "inappropriate". Talking about disbursement of inheritance at the memorial service, for example, might be seen as lacking tact. A fool would run off at the mouth and offend their family and generate antagonism out of their ignorance as to the appropriate time to discuss such matters.
It's in this fashion that the words a person uses cannot, by themselves, tell you everything. You need context, and that's where the "wise" who are gathering knowledge will be quick to listen and slow to speak, wisdom which shows up later in scripture.
The fool doesn't know about or doesn't care about the consequences of destruction that their tongue will bring upon them, but the wise will speak, and act, with prudence and intention.
Solomon is drawing attention to this dynamic in the contrast between the wise who could share the knowledge they've gained versus the foolish whose lips will bring destruction.
Any one "guru" will have some sample of truth, a finite collection of useful knowledge, and you will eventually hit their limit and need to continue your journey. With God there is no limit, but we are not really interacting directly with God, but with people who have interacted with God, and whose knowledge is filtered through their own life experiences and ponders.
To continue gathering knowledge, then, you need to learn from people who have had different experiences and combine that with what you've already learned to synthesize your understanding of the universal truths behind the specific occurrences, to find the patterns, to see them play out, and to practice identifying where you are in any one pattern.
You can't do that by talking all the time.You need to listen, to gather knowledge.
“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” - Mark Twain
30.4.18
Daily Bible Study: Proverbs 10:8-9
The wise in heart will receive commands,
But a prating fool will fall.
He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
Proverbs 10:8-9 (NKJV).
Your ways will find you out, sooner or later. That is the inevitability of a world which is constantly veering towards chaos, or at least an order which is not hospitable to our own comfort, let alone survival.
Knowing that, from prior passages, the wise are already self-aware, being able to receive commands is just an extension of receiving wisdom and guidance. For the same reason that you are humbling yourself to learn from God, you can do the same for those in positions of authority over you. This is especially important when dealing with complicated circumstances where your own perceptions are limited and you need to rely on someone who is looking at things from a bigger perspective.
In contrast, we have the fools who run the spectrum on whether their folly is discovered in the short or long term. The "prating fool" is obvious, and we've all run into them in our lives, the type of person who can't be told anything but has to be the one making all the pertinent points in a conversation, dominating it. Even if all they're contributing is the sound of their voice, they must simply keep talking.
This first group falls because their decisions are only as good as their ability to act on their own perceptions, and given that we're all finite beings, we're prone to misunderstandings. There are generally three types of knowledge: what you know you know, what you know you don't know, and what you don't know you don't know.
For the prating fool, the first type of information they have in spades, at least according to them. The second type only contains information which is irrelevant or useless, and the third type simply doesn't exist. Amusingly, one does not need to think hard about circumstances in their own life where the second type of information became an issue, let alone the third, so again the failures are found in the disparity between claims and reality.
When highly competent, even the prating fool will see success, but only for a time. The immediacy of consequences is not the most important aspect compared to the inevitability of them. For the same reason that, having jumped out of an airplane without a parachute, it doesn't really matter how long you're falling before the final consequences hit, that you may still be halfway to the ground does not mean you won't ever hit the ground.
This also leads to the second group of fools which, while perhaps not as overtly talkative, is still refusing to make choices which are wise. The contrast here is between integrity and perversion, which may imply that even fools who listen to wisdom, but do not then apply it as they indicated they would, are not spared the inevitability of their choices being brought to light.
If someone gives you good advice and you choose to ignore it, the disparity will become obvious as consequences play out, because our behaviors reflect our choices, and pursuing different means will get you different ends that, even if superficially similar, are not quite the same at all.
Take used car sales. The goal is to make a profit selling used cars. One could do this by ensuring that the vehicles are adequately serviced and that you have good customer relations, or by simply pushing the vehicles out the door to the unsuspecting and focusing on volume instead of individual deals.
Both are trying to achieve the same "ends" of making a profit selling used cars, but the means are different, and one will lead to a destroyed reputation, albeit with cash in your pocket faster, than if you'd dealt with integrity and honesty. The ends don't necessarily distinguish, and so the means is how the wise and the fool are distinguished.
Because the fools and the wise behave differently, even if hidden for a time, or blatantly obvious at the outset, the differences will always come to light, and no amount of explanation after-the-fact will change the circumstances from what they are as a result of the past choices.
Listen to wisdom, the exhortations of those whose perspective encompasses information which you may not be aware of, and then move forward with integrity.
But a prating fool will fall.
He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
Proverbs 10:8-9 (NKJV).
Your ways will find you out, sooner or later. That is the inevitability of a world which is constantly veering towards chaos, or at least an order which is not hospitable to our own comfort, let alone survival.
Knowing that, from prior passages, the wise are already self-aware, being able to receive commands is just an extension of receiving wisdom and guidance. For the same reason that you are humbling yourself to learn from God, you can do the same for those in positions of authority over you. This is especially important when dealing with complicated circumstances where your own perceptions are limited and you need to rely on someone who is looking at things from a bigger perspective.
In contrast, we have the fools who run the spectrum on whether their folly is discovered in the short or long term. The "prating fool" is obvious, and we've all run into them in our lives, the type of person who can't be told anything but has to be the one making all the pertinent points in a conversation, dominating it. Even if all they're contributing is the sound of their voice, they must simply keep talking.
This first group falls because their decisions are only as good as their ability to act on their own perceptions, and given that we're all finite beings, we're prone to misunderstandings. There are generally three types of knowledge: what you know you know, what you know you don't know, and what you don't know you don't know.
For the prating fool, the first type of information they have in spades, at least according to them. The second type only contains information which is irrelevant or useless, and the third type simply doesn't exist. Amusingly, one does not need to think hard about circumstances in their own life where the second type of information became an issue, let alone the third, so again the failures are found in the disparity between claims and reality.
When highly competent, even the prating fool will see success, but only for a time. The immediacy of consequences is not the most important aspect compared to the inevitability of them. For the same reason that, having jumped out of an airplane without a parachute, it doesn't really matter how long you're falling before the final consequences hit, that you may still be halfway to the ground does not mean you won't ever hit the ground.
This also leads to the second group of fools which, while perhaps not as overtly talkative, is still refusing to make choices which are wise. The contrast here is between integrity and perversion, which may imply that even fools who listen to wisdom, but do not then apply it as they indicated they would, are not spared the inevitability of their choices being brought to light.
If someone gives you good advice and you choose to ignore it, the disparity will become obvious as consequences play out, because our behaviors reflect our choices, and pursuing different means will get you different ends that, even if superficially similar, are not quite the same at all.
Take used car sales. The goal is to make a profit selling used cars. One could do this by ensuring that the vehicles are adequately serviced and that you have good customer relations, or by simply pushing the vehicles out the door to the unsuspecting and focusing on volume instead of individual deals.
Both are trying to achieve the same "ends" of making a profit selling used cars, but the means are different, and one will lead to a destroyed reputation, albeit with cash in your pocket faster, than if you'd dealt with integrity and honesty. The ends don't necessarily distinguish, and so the means is how the wise and the fool are distinguished.
Because the fools and the wise behave differently, even if hidden for a time, or blatantly obvious at the outset, the differences will always come to light, and no amount of explanation after-the-fact will change the circumstances from what they are as a result of the past choices.
Listen to wisdom, the exhortations of those whose perspective encompasses information which you may not be aware of, and then move forward with integrity.
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