The Bible class Katie and I were visiting on Sunday was doing a study through the book of Proverbs and we were going through the many verses on fools and their folly. Every time I read through Proverbs, there are always these little gold nuggets that stand out to me as though I’ve never read them before. And on Sunday that gold nugget was this verse:
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
(Proverbs 18:2)
When I read this verse, one phrase immediately came to mind: American Culture. Though I am well aware that this proverb is applicable to all peoples of all times, there has been something irking me over the last couple of years about our culture of commentary, and I’ve never been quite able to put it into words. I think this verse gets it done.
We have become a people of expressing our opinions about everything. We have each (myself included) deemed ourselves the last great critic of our time, and for some unknown and very arrogant reason, feel the rest of the world should be graced with our opinions about everything. Even in our humor we have declared ourselves the president of who decides what is funny and what isn’t. One of my cultural pet peeves is how much of our humor is based on making fun of someone else’s humor. Someone may make a lame joke in a small group of people, and it will be instantly thrown to ground in front of everyone. “Fail!” “That’s not funny at all!” “What does that even mean?!” Where before we would express our confusion over a misfired joke in the privacy of our own homes, we now throw it back in that person’s face. You are not funny. The fact that you even attempted to be funny in our presence is embarrassing. Watch, I’m going to do an impersonation of how bad your attempt at humor was. Isn’t it funny how unfunny you just were?
Honestly, I blame all of this on the internet. We live in a virtual society that allows our opinions to be expressed to the whole world, and for some reason we seem to think the whole world cares. It’s the very nature of online forums, polls, blog posts and blog comments. It’s the ridiculous (though addicting) design of letting me weigh in on whatever your status update may be. (Just so you know, “I like” that you’re at the mall.) On CNN.com right now there is a story about how many people took pleasure in expressing their opinions during Tiger Woods’ public apology, and how the numbers were actually lower than expected based on his previous record-breaking buzz. And I’ve seen several polls that ask all of us (who don’t know Tiger’s heart whatsoever) whether or not we think he was sincere, or if he was telling the truth. Yes! Great idea! Let me weigh in on something I know absolutely nothing about. We’re a culture of critics, and it should be embarrassing. But it’s not. It’s freedom of speech, or funny, or something.
Of course I realize the great irony of me writing a post where I express my opinion about people expressing their opinions. But I do hope you will allow me this small contradiction as I try to process and apply this simple proverb to my own Christian life. If a fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion, I suppose the opposite is true: A wise man takes pleasure in understanding and not in expressing his opinion. Of course this doesn’t mean that one never shares his opinion. This proverb simply asks, From where do you take pleasure? The foolish enjoy sharing their opinion without any filter of understanding applied. (In the words of Stephen Colbert: “Facts change, but my opinion stays the same.”) The wise, however, enjoy seeking understanding before expressing their opinion on an issue. So from where do you take your pleasure?
I have been the fool much too often in this area. I want to love understanding more than expressing my thoughts on a subject. I think this definitely falls into the area of love being patient and kind. It is not proud and it is not rude.
So I’m going to try and start keeping my opinions to myself, I think. Less commentary, more love. Less critiques, more seeking to understand. Less of me, more of Him.
And that’s what I think about that.
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:02 am
Well let me give you my opinion…
I agree.
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:14 am
Well said friend. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live you James and you now, knowing things like this. I think the pleasure in understanding is part of what James (in the bible) says. “Slow to speak, slow to become angry”. Critics aren’t all bad, however most of the time they seem really angry.
Hoping I’m not a fool…
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:30 am
I think this is true for me, spiritually. I seem to have this burn to teach and share, because I have so few opportunities to do so. But that “burn” is really disproportionate to the “burn” I struggle to find to study and meditate on God’s word.
February 24th, 2010 at 8:30 am
I’m afraid to comment.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
“like” :)
February 27th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
What a wonderful statement of opinion! If you look just a few verses back in the book of Proverbs there is another verse that in some ways helps support your opinion. It also explains why it is foolish to be someone who just delights in speaking an opinion without seeking first to understand.
“A Man of knowledge uses words with
restraint,”
and a man of understanding is
even-tempered”
Proverbs 17:27
It seems to me that when a person voices there opinion without trying to fully understand the situation first it leads often to anger. Either the person who has been scrutinized becomes angry at the other for what they have said, or in the case that I think Proverbs 17:27 shows us quite well. Is that when people do not seek to understand the behavior of others they often become angry and their opinions completely negative. When people seek to understand they will often find less reason to be angry. It is then that their opinions become more objective, and correct. Therefore, a man of understanding becomes even-tempered.
Great Job Brandon! You are one very wise man!