Wisdom
“Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.”
All right. Now we have done it.
How does one follow the deep contemplation of love that we experienced last week? Is love all we need; does it conquer all; is it a cross to bear or all we need to make us happy; do we simply have to wait for it to come when we are ready, or when we are afraid?
Will it turn out to be “our greatest teacher”?
I am forced to conclude that it takes a whole lot of “wisdom” to figure these things out. Once again, our conclusions quite often “beg other questions.”
Uh, oh.
May I ask you to ponder the nature of wisdom with me?
In the quotation above, from around five thousand years ago, we see that we are not alone in looking for an answer.
Should we just stop now and save a lot of time?
I think not.
Allow me to start with an anecdote. Many years ago, as I was trying to learn how to teach, someone suggested that I should require my students to keep journals. As a result, I might learn something of value about their lives and how they were reacting to my “brilliant” tutelage. I would read them periodically and give feedback as appropriate. One of the entries began something such as this:
“How dare you? This is supposed to be a class in law and you have already brought in religion!”
I was taken aback. When and how had I done that? She was quick to observe that I had quoted the Bible at the very top of my syllabus. I was forced to ponder whether that had been a “wise” choice. Please draw your own conclusions.
So let me begin by posing a few questions for your consideration:
— Is wisdom the same as knowledge or being smart?
— Are we born with it?
— What is its role in a human life?
Of course, by now you know that when I lack answers, I consult my songwriters. Makes sense to start with a song named simply “Wisdom” by the incomparable John Gorka.
A couple of starters:
“Wisdom exists, though it's not commonly found”
Wisdom's still free, but it doesn't come cheap
It's found in your dreams, not on the nights you don't sleep”
And my personal favorite:
“It's got the lonesomest howl of any dog in the pound
Wisdom resides between salt and sky
I'm too mean to quit, or too dumb to try”
Now that I call a “good start” (or perhaps a good stopping place?). My hope is that we can go on.
A tentative thought. “Professor” Gorka suggests a few concepts about the subject at hand. Wisdom is a lonesome endeavor, and not everyone attains it. It takes some hard work. It is seemingly ephemeral.
Hey, I am starting to have fun—are you? Almost makes me wish I had majored in philosophy…nah.
So, what are you thinking? Here is where I find myself at this moment. Wisdom is so much more than words. It is an ineffable thing. As much as I care for Gorka’s lyrical, amusing exploration, one can see his abiding wonder about the thing. His poem demonstrates, I think, how difficult it is to get one’s mind around its essence. Maybe that is the “wisest” thing about his effort.
As fine and thoughtful as the lyrics are, they cannot come close to the attempts of the writer(s) of the Old Testament’s so-called “wisdom” literature—words heaped upon words, for pages and pages. It wears one out to attempt a reading and not be exhausted far from the end. The question remains: does it do justice or harm to our understanding?
I shall stick with this: poetry, and the spaces between the words, are perhaps a better (the only?) way.
OK, then—what can we say of value? As I hope it goes without saying, please feel completely free to make your own interpretations. My comments, when appropriate, are merely my own.
I would like to introduce you to a writer whose name might not ring a bell, yet he is one of the most brilliant musicians, lyricists, and impactful songwriters of our times. He is not a balladeer who goes from venue to venue in his own car to play for smallish gatherings. He is the leader of an influential pop/rock band called Dawes.
His work (dare I say poetry) crosses all the modes—from stirring stories to social commentary to love songs and introspective self-reflection. Did I say lead soloist, guitarist, and primary writer? The band’s arrangements are complex and soaring, and the members listen to and complement one another.
Enough…go out and see for yourself—no matter your preferred genre.
His own personal take?
“I confuse a sense of purpose
With grabbin' the future by the throat
While the museum of my memories
Was just some blurry photographs
When I was younger I was serious
Now everything's a joke
But my friends detect a sadness
At the end of every laugh
Which has left me with a tricky sense of humor
I keep gettin' further led astray
Every punchline takes on another dimension
When you realize that the time flies either way
— Taylor Goldsmith
This leaves me breathless. It is brave reflection. Do you sense that this “summary” of a life may just be a description of almost any of us at any point in time?
Guess we better start working on our “stuff” right now. As he suggests, none of us knows how much time there is. Seems like the “wise” thing to do. But it is also an uncomfortable pursuit.
Shall we search further?
“And you wonder where we're going
Where's the rhyme and where's the reason
And it's you cannot accept
It is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind
For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness
Could clear a cloudy day”
—John Denver
One of my favorite songs is from a songwriter who, depending on one’s point of view, was over (or under appreciated). He was a child of the sixties, writing mostly in the seventies. He spent a lot of time in the Rockies and greatly adored the out of doors, thinking, contemplating.
His are not the first words to express belief in the idea that “a little child will lead them”. Our society tends to discount lessons such as these as overly romantic and idealistic. We value progress even if our young suffer from its effects, and the planet is at risk.
So, is there any answer that can bridge this intergenerational gap? I do not want to tire you out.
I, for now, choose to leave you with this advice from a great band of singers and songwriters who united the idealism of folk-rock of the sixties with the throbbing rhythms of the classic bands of the next decade. On their iconic album Déjà Vu, they make this plea to parents and their offspring (and the reverse!), helping us see the necessity of passing along lessons learned.
Ponder it ’til next time.
“You, who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a goodbye
Teach your children well
Their father's hell did slowly go by
Feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's the one you'll know by
And you, of tender years
Can't know the fears your elders grew by
Help them with your youth
They seek the truth before they can die
Teach your parents well
Their children's hell will slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's the one you'll know by”
—Graham Nash (of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young)
And… Finally!
Please listen to the wisdom of Alan Jackson, one of our great “country” lyricists.
“The older I get
The more I think
You only get a minute, better live while you’re in it
'Cause it’s gone in a blink
And the older I get
The truer it is
It’s the people you love, not the money and stuff
That makes you rich”
Amen
