Speech

For it is through speech that wisdom becomes known, and knowledge through the tongue’s rejoinder.
– Sirach 4:24

Sirach is one of the seven books of the apocrypha. These books while in the Roman Catholic bible were removed by Martin Luther, and so all Protestant bibles since have been without. Sirach is written much like Proverbs. It’s full of nuggets for contemplation.

It doesn’t take long before it’s possible to determine whether someone is speaking before they think. Words are powerful; capable of causing great harm or devastation. Being able to analyze a situation and reacting accordingly, without being rash, requires a bit of wisdom. Based on my own life journey, experience is a prerequisite for attaining wisdom.

Parents’ instruction and teaching of their children are prefect examples of wisdom in action. Parents pass on their own past failures, and successes to their children in hope that they surpass them. In martial arts, one of the greatest accomplishment a sensei can achieve, is having his own pupil overtake him. From my own experience, to have someone surpass you in a task that you helped teach is a feeling nothing else can duplicate. It doesn’t matter that I lost the match; it was how far the student has come, knowing that I was partially responsible for his success.

God gave us one mouth, but two ears. Listen first, listen to understand what is being said. A wise person isn’t going to go about looking for arguments or yell absurdities. He will, however, show his wisdom through his knowledge and experience. If it is warranted, the wise person will respond in such a matter that shows dignity and tact.

All too often people respond before they think and analyze the situation. The lack of wisdom is heard and read throughout the media world. There are journalists who are in such a hurry to be first to crack a major story, they don’t fully investigate the sources. More times than not, this reporter’s work has to be corrected or completely retracted. Had they been wise, they would have vetted the information before releasing it. In the information era of today, once an online post or article is published, there’s no going back.

Aim to be wise, thinking about the consequences of an action before it’s made. Acting out of rage or vengeance will only result in backlash. Taking a 5-minute break before reacting, can save years of hard work trying to undo a rash decision.