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Today's
Meditation:
It
seems that many people value cleverness over wisdom.
To me the difference between the two is immense:
cleverness entertains me for a moment or two, while wisdom
can provide me with something important to me for the rest
of my life. But many people are almost always
"on," and they value the laughter that results
from their cleverness over the thought that could result
from sharing the wisdom they've gained over the years.
A
clever person can almost always come up with clever
answers that amuse me. I can amuse others with my
clever answers, too, and I'm often very good at it.
But my clever answer won't give you anything that will be
of value tomorrow. But answers are merely responses,
and they wouldn't exist unless someone else made a
statement first.
In the context of this quotation, cleverness also can
refer to smart answers-- I can be smart and know how to
fix things and how things work, but not understand how
things are affecting people or how things work in broader
contexts.
My
questions, when wise, can get others to think more deeply
about life and living, about their own thoughts and
actions and motives in life. They can also get
people to solve their own problems and set their own
courses in life, if I ask them well and give up the need
to answer questions for other people. After all, we
all have the answers to all of our own questions
already. Clever answers on my part will not allow
you to discover those answers in yourself; wise questions
will allow you to find and implement those answers.
If
my goal in life is to help others, then my goal should be
to help them to help themselves. Only wise
questions, not clever answers, can fulfill that particular
goal.
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