your mind's a machine
it's deadly & dull
Wisdom was the Israelite’s school of life, whereby they taught themselves, one another, and their children how to live…
And the first lesson of wisdom is the most obvious, but it’s also the hardest to learn…
We’re going to spend July in the book of Proverbs. And Proverbs is a little like the “encyclopedia,” or these days, “wikipedia.” Proverbs is a collection of the accumulated wisdom of what it meant to live as God’s Chosen People…
But there’s an important distinction; while Proverbs is an anthology like the encyclopedia or wikipedia, that’s where the commonalities end.
…We live in the ‘information age.’ And that’s what encyclopedias and wikipedia provide, information.
You want to know what the population of Burlington was in 1850? Look it up on wikipedia (4,082)! You want to learn the history of encyclopedias? Just dust off the “E” edition of your encyclopedia, and look it up!
But, what neither wikipedia nor encyclopedias provide, is information about what to do with the facts they provide. They just present them…
And Proverbs, full of information though it may be, isn’t interested in merely relay information to you…
Proverbs is about imparting wisdom. And there’s a big different between wisdom and information. Isn’t there?
Information is data; stats & figures. But wisdom is knowing what to do with it.
And the truth is, in our information age, we could all use as much wisdom as we can get. After all we’re drowning data. Aren’t we?
If you’re not so sure, try this out next time you watch the news; pay attention to how much new information you get. You’d be surprised by how little it is…
Usually the information comes early; “here’s the situation, here’s what we know, here’s how we know, here’s what eyewitnesses say.”
But then, if the story generates interest, if it’s scintillating, it will be extended. “Here’s what so-and-so thinks about it.” “Here’s what could happen.” “Here’s why party X and party Y disagree about it.” That kind of thing.
And the truth is, most of that is just commentary providing little new information!
…In personal conversations and home visits, I’ll drop by, and the news will be on, and you’ll be agitated.
So here’s some wisdom; try and find news with as little ideological bent to it as possible. That way you won’t have to wade through an over-abundance of commentary. Then, decide an amount of time that’s long enough to get your news, but not too long. And stick to it. Limit yourself.
If you feel it’s important to get an idealogical interpretation, limit yourself there, too. Maybe once a week. And try and get it in print. That way you’ll be less likely to be preyed on by quickening your pulse and boiling your blood.
Even better than getting an ideological take, though, would be to read long-form reportage.
(*You can use the extra time and energy to do something about the issues.)
…The difference between information and wisdom is that information is just raw data, whereas wisdom is having the sense to know what to do with it.
…Wisdom was the Israelite’s school of life, whereby they taught themselves, one another, and their children how to live…
But, here’s the thing, when it comes to wisdom, the first lesson is the most obvious, BUT it’s also the hardest to learn…
Which is another important distinction; with so much information we’ve convinced ourselves there is a difference between our heads, our hearts and what we do. We imagine there is a realm of life that’s guided primarily by emotions, and another realm of life that’s guided by information, and another realm still where life happens!
But our ancestors knew better. They knew there is no meaningful distinction. Information, emotions and actions, all play off each other & affect one another.
Wisdom understands the way LIFE actually goes; how we don’t think ourselves into news ways of acting, but we do act ourselves into new ways of thinking.
That’s what wisdom is, the integration of knowledge and life! A way of living that helps make sense of all the information. A way of looking at your life and the world that allows your heart and head not only understand each other, but even cooperate and collaborate. A way of behaving that foster integrity between your heads, hearts and actions!
Wisdom is a synthesis. A way of being that shapes how you fit into the world. A way of living that guides how you live!
…Wisdom was the Israelite’s school of life, whereby they taught themselves, one another, and their children how to live…
But, here’s the thing, when it comes to wisdom, the first lesson is the most obvious, BUT it’s also the hardest to learn…
Which brings us to the biggest difference between information and wisdom; information is immediate. Once you have it, that’s it.
Which is why we’re drowning in it.
Believing data is all there is, we consume more. Hoping to find that piece of information to help us figure out what to do with all the data. But data can’t do that. Data is just data. It can’t make sense of itself.
Wisdom, on the other hand, is all about making sense out of the confusing world around you.
But, you can’t learn wisdom instantaneously! That takes a lifetime!
Wisdom is a lifelong pursuit.
What’s more, you don’t gain wisdom, it’s imparted TO you. You hear it. Someone tells it to you…
And then, once a piece of wisdom has been imparted, you must do something hard; you must go out and there a live as if it WERE true. As if you had ALREADY learned the lesson. Because eventually you will.
As Jesus said, “Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:19)
In other words, while you receive a piece of wisdom in a instant:
Like this, “Whoever belittles another lacks sense, but an intelligent person remains silent.” (Proverbs 11:12) It takes a lifetime for that wisdom to bear out. Only time can teach you how true a piece of wisdom is.
-> Wisdom was the Israelite’s school of life, whereby they taught themselves, one another, and their children how to live…
But, and here’s the thing, when it comes to wisdom, the first lesson is the most obvious, AND it’s also the hardest to learn…
So, are you ready to hear it, that first piece of wisdom?
Here it is: “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
The first lesson in wisdom is that God is GOD, and we are not.
That’s what “fear of the Lord” is, the humble recognition we are not God.
Which, on the one hand, is obvious. Isn’t it? We’re clearly not God. Daily we experience this frustrating reality.
On the other hand, though, it’s ALSO not an easy lesson to learn. Is it?
That’s why it’s a frustrating lesson. That’s why we collect data the way we do. We want to have enough data to control; control the world, or at least our lives.
But data can’t do that! In fact, learning data cannot offer control, but can all too easily control us, is wisdom!
The first lesson of wisdom is the most obvious, BUT it’s also the hardest! We’re not God.
So hard, we cannot learn it on our own. It must be imparted. And then, once it’s been imparted, all we can do is live as if it WERE true. As is we had ALREADY learned that lesson!
We can’t convince ourselves into fear of the Lord. BUT, we can act our way into it. Which is all daily life is. Isn’t it? The exercise of learning over and over again the frustrating lesson that we are not God.
It’s a hard lesson, but when it gets written on our hearts, we become softer, more open to tutelage.
It’s the rough edges of life where we learn the hard lesson that we’re not God. Isn’t it? BUT, it’s also those places we learn we’re not God, that we also learn need NOT fear God!
It’s only in the times we cannot pull off being God, that the One who IS God in the flesh, does what looks like foolishness; gives up his godliness to come and save you! Make sense of your world, not with information, but himself.
That’s why the really wise person will say, like St. Paul, “I am determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2)
That’s the piece of Wisdom that casts out all fear! We are not God. We were never meant to be. Even if we could, we’d do a terrible job!
So God, in all the wisdom thereof, has determined to be God. And not just God, but your God! God for YOU! The One you CAN look to when the data of life bombards you! The One who will take the rough edges upon himself and meet you in the thick of it!
Because that’s what’s really distressing about all the data, isn’t it? We don’t know what to do with it! Well, fear NOT! You are not God. You don’t have to (not that you could)! You HAVE a God! One you CAN call upon when you can’t make sense of life.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
But that’s not all it’s the beginning of, is it? It’s also the beginning of faith. The beginning of peace and hope. The beginning of life that really IS life.
It’s an obvious lesson that’s surprisingly hard to learn; we are not God. But hiding on the other side of that hard lesson, is the One whose yoke is easy and burden light.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But the One who is the power of God’s wisdom at work in you and the world is the one who casts out fear.
And no amount of data could ever teach you that, but in the meantime, we can act our way into it. Which is what we’re going to do; by praising God!
“How Marvelous God’s Greatness.”
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