Proverbs

 

I find proverbs interesting to read. It’s like a mini lesson in communication and human relations. Maybe not all of them, but certainly a lot. It reminds me that I do not need to have the answers to life’s riddles; I still have much to learn.

Proverbs can be wisdom taken from various books.  Chinese proverbs certainly show up this way, not necessarily the ones on the fortune cookies, but those are also fun to think on, if not to pattern your life after.

Here are two such proverbs from Thought.com:

“A book is like a garden carried in the pocket." - Reading helps people to grow intellectually.

"Better the cottage where one is merry than the palace where one weeps." - It is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable.

Philosophers are deep thinkers and their words feel like proverbs too. Many of them offer wisdom. The saying that the only thing certain is change was spoken was back in ancient Greece by Heraclitus (c. 535-475 BCE)

There is nothing permanent except change.

 

Plato was another deep thinker of the time (c. 428-348 BCE). He founded one of the “world's first known institutions of higher learning, the Academy in Athens.”

 

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.

Greek thinkers were not the first to coin helpful and wise words to live by, at least of the kind we know today. And some of them, including Socrates, were certainly not appreciated for their ideas. While we do have deep thinkers of our time, speaking to our issues today, there’s yet another source of wisdom to live by.

King Solomon, to whom the biblical proverbs are attributed, was reputed to be wise. He asked God for advice on how to rule his kingdom. Sure, he was rich in resources and material wealth, and likely education too, but he knew he needed help with that large responsibility. Asking for help from one who knows and guides is a great place to start. It’s smart too. Proverbs 1 starts off this way: 

For learning about wisdom and instruction,
   for understanding words of insight,
³ for gaining instruction in wise dealing,
    righteousness, justice, and equity;

 If you are also intrigued by proverbs, try reading this book of the Bible. You can read it here, get a copy of your own, or borrow the book from a library near you. Because reading is gaining knowledge too.

Carolyn Wilker

www.carolynwilker.ca