I love getting wisdom from those who speak it and offer it. So it’s no surprise that I was intrigued by this piece of wisdom.
It sounds like a cruel quip demeaning the state of wisdom of someone else. Notice, however, how there’s wisdom in it.
That wisdom is this – until you know what you’re saying, until you know who you’re saying it to, until you know the purpose for which your saying it, until you know all these things carefully, it’s a good idea to keep your mouth shut.
That’s a great word of wisdom in an age where freedom of speech has been perceived by others as an obligation to speak. There are plenty of platforms available to enable you to fulfil that obligation. It’s almost seen as the done thing to go about making the most of that obligation, without people recognising what it really exposes about you as your mouth gets to chatting.
That word of wisdom reminds me of a sound word of wisdom offered in Proverbs.
In both statements, there should also be heard a rebuke to foolishness. It should not be a badge of honour to be foolish, but sometimes such is the noise abounding a lot of it foolishness that it appears as though you haven’t made it until you’re foolish. Yet there is great wisdom in being someone of a cool spirit. There is something to be said about the pursuit of being someone of understanding. It doesn’t require a lot of talking, but it can engage a lot of listening and applying, learning and understanding, then where needed the expression of the wisdom.
In this age of information, it can often seem like being able to reel off what has been picked up from source to source is the making of an expert. Yet this is why there’s great wisdom to be noted in the restraint of words. The careful and considered selection of words to express the desired intent that builds the desired outome.
That leads to another great piece of insight offered here:
God help us to be wise rather than just smart. God help us to be people of a cool spirit pursuing understanding. God help us to know when to open our mouth to talk and when its best to just stay quiet.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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