Any Fool Can Judge Others

(The River Raisin)

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

8:30 AM

It's going to be eighty-five degrees today. That makes me and Linda happy!

I'm sitting on our back deck. We live on three and a half acres, on the River Raisin. This river is supposed to be the world's most crooked river. Really? In all the world? Google says so. See here.

I have been on a wisdom quest for fifty years. That doesn't mean I have arrived. But, I have pursued wisdom, passionately. 

This pursuit to gain wisdom began when I became a follower of Jesus. In the spring of 1970. I was, at the time, in college, majoring in Music Theory. Upon my conversion, I changed majors to another sure money-maker - Philosophy. And I fell in love.

My love affair with wisdom has not stopped. Thus I am, this morning, on our back deck, with a cup of freshly brewed Tim Horton's coffee, listening to pianist Ralph Zurmuhle through my Bose Soundlink Mini speaker.

I begin reading Proverbs, chapter 18. I only get through two verses.

1 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.

This is truth.

Over the years of teaching philosophy at our Community College, I have had students who were true wisdom-seekers. And, I've had students who thought they were wise. Some of these wise ones loved to start arguments. 

A few of these trolled me on social media. I discovered that any troll can ask a question. I let them troll me for a while, then, for a few of them, cut them off. They were masters of begging the question, the princes of disconnected rabbit trails.

Any fool can start a quarrel. Many fools are wise, in their own eyes. They judge, before they understand. The hard work of understanding the position of the other is too much for them.

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