Why do wise people get wiser?
It is because they listen and commit themselves to a lifetime of learning. It is because they are not afraid to get guidance and counsel. They are discerning enough to know that they don't know everything. They are wise enough to recognize the gaps in their wisdom. They are smart enough to know when they need to consult someone smarter.
Proverbs 1:5 says, "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels."
The NIV translates it as a proactive admonition, "let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. "
Whether it is an observation or an imperative or both, the truth is clear to any serious observer. The wisest people among us are never satisfied to remain where they are. They are never content to go through life with yesterday's understanding. They want to go deeper on the truths they know and wider to embrace a broader spectrum of knowledge. They listen and learn and keep on doing so.
If you aspire to some higher level of understanding, do not take short cuts. Do not seal the lid on any jar of wisdom you may possess on any subject. Never close your mind. Never stop reading. Never shut out the world. Never feel that you have a handle on any area of discipline, including the Bible.
You always have more to know and more room to grow.
To whom and what do you listen and where do you go for counsel?
- First, and most obviously, the compiler of the proverbs invites the reader to hear the words of his unique and inspired collection of sayings and teachings. Many people read a chapter of the book of Proverbs every day – the one that corresponds to the day of the month. There are thirty one days in 7 months, thirty in 4, and 28 in February. Making proper adjustments, all the chapters are read 12 times a year and they have been practicing this learning discipline for years and continue to see new truths and applications. Usually this is just a part of a daily Bible reading plan that includes the whole wise counsel of scripture.
- Second, any person wishing to become wiser will read the literature of the past and that of the present. He or she will pursue a curiosity about current affairs, subjects of particular interest, literature in his or her profession or trade, and personal development books and articles.
- Third, wise people keep up with the news in my opinion. They do not blind themselves to the world in which they live nor do they abdicate their responsibility to become informed citizens.
- Fourth, wise people listen with their ears to teachers and speakers who challenge them. They engage in actual or virtual dialog with these people and bring their own presuppositions into question regularly. Without abandoning their core values and commitments, they sometimes change their minds about views that they discover are misinformed or unfairly biases.
- Fifth, they engage in interesting and stimulating conversation, often asking people's views and listening to their answers.
- Sixth, they seek advice and counsel from experts, sometimes people who may not have their breadth of knowledge and experience but who have insights into areas where they might not be as well informed or knowledgeable.
- Seventh, they often rub shoulders with the young and gain their perspective. This requires humility for some people, but it serves to stretch their minds and stimulate their thinking. As they are questioned, they find new ways to tell their own stories and are often surprised by what they hear coming out of their own mouths. Young people keep wise people young.
- Eighth, they also seek out the elderly, even those who may have been marginalized and cast aside as no longer valuable to society. They seek them out and listen intently.
- Ninth, they consider what they read and hear and mull it over, sorting it out, weighing it, and reflecting upon it. Some of what is collected will be discarded. All of it will be sorted out. Some of it will be put into practice immediately and some later. But everything will be considered.
- Tenth, they accept new challenges and learn new skills, always on adventure, always curious, always full of wonder.
Thus, wise people seem to just get wiser and wiser.
