“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”—Proverbs 26:4-5, NIV
I often turn to the Proverbs for wisdom. Their utility is not to be underestimated even in these modern times.
Proverbs 26:4-5 comes to mind often—too often, in fact. While the verses seem contradictory, they are actually quite on point. If I hadn’t learned it earlier in life, social media has certainly made these verses clear. There are a lot of fools out there. (Neither I nor my Facebook friends are included, of course! *humor*) These Proverbs tell us there are two types of fools. There are those who need to be called out, and there are those who need to be ignored. Wisdom and experience tells us which are which. Personally, I wish I was more discerning.
I have been compelled lately to write about the disunity and dysfunction that is escalating in our communities. Some of which calls for a bit of Proverbs 26:4 and some of which calls for a bit of Proverbs 26:5.
I am coming to learn that author of Proverbs led with “do not answer a fool” for good reason. I find that, in most cases, when I answer a “fool” on social media, I get sucked into to a vortex of fools from which escape is futile. These are the fools who are so grounded in their irrationality that there is no wisdom that can change them.
There are times, however, when each of us acts the fool (call it “ignorance”). In such times, it is helpful for us to be answered accordingly. We can call these “teachable moments”. And, please, when you catch me in such moments of unawareness, call me on it.
We are seeing the most opinionated and least rational of voices being the most outspoken in our communities. It is tempting to want to put a sock in it (or perhaps a fist), but these are the Proverb 26:4 fools. As tempting as violence is, violence only begets more violence. The best way to deal with these (oh, so many words that I might want to insert here) is to isolate them and ignore them. They are fewer than we think. And, if a tree falls in the forest ant there is no one there to listen, does it make a sound??
The rifts in our society are not going to come together by amplifying the babble of fools. Unity will start from the rational in the middle who seek reasonable solutions. (Notice, I do not say “compromise”. While there may be times for compromise, compromise rarely results in growth.) “Reasonable solutions” require someone to change—to grow. This is what we mean by the “advancement” of society. When we recognize our folly, and respond reasonably and with the best interests of all in mind, society changes for the better.
I would argue that the solutions to our world problems are Spiritual. “Spiritual” in the truest sense. Spiritual, remember, greater than religious. While faith can have—and should have—a powerful voice in solving our societal problems, we must be open to the fact that our theology is often limited to smaller worldview. “Open-minded” should not be threatening. Open-minded simply means that we are willing to let our worldview be challenged and expanded—where necessary.
The walls that we create, need not be permanent. As Abraham Lincoln, so aptly stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Carpe momento!