Proverbs 17:28 of the Christian Bible says thus, “even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” If we are not in the know, are not privy to the facts or have a full all round 360 degree view of the matter, the best action is no action.
Those who know little must not be too quick to act and respond. The next step they take may cause them to fall and this will make them look bad and silly.
Those who know little must not be too quick to act and respond. The next step they take may cause them to fall and this will make them look bad and silly.
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| The fool at the edge of cliff blissfully unaware of the danger of the next step despite the barking of a dog |
It is best to leave others who have been doing the job in a temple or church to continue than to try to take over. Even if they have some attributes we don't like, they have done good in the past and will continue to do good.
So long as they allow us to be with them and not try to shoo us away, let matters be. Each group can hold on to their views and live and let live like the yin and yang in a temple or church.
Do not make a fool of oneself by uttering too quickly, by drawing the gun and shooting away. This will hurt others and oneself.
This is another aspect of the saying by Lord Bo Tien that the near may be far and the far near.
Those who talk allot though they know little and want to be in the fore of matters in a temple are far from the heavenly saint of that temple. They may be near but yet are far from the saint.
Those who are devoted and stay quiet and faithful on the sidelines are near though far. They are humble though they know more but hold back their tongue and do not talk or act quickly. They prefer to keep silent until they know more and until the opportune time.
Even fools are wise if they keep silent. This applies to people in a temple or outside a temple. Give this more thought.
There will be more brotherly spirit among men if there is more silence in men who may often see eye to eye on matters of approach to life, be it in a temple or outside. There is no need to hurt one another by talking out aloud and throwing stones at one another.
In society, men do live in close proximity and often too close to one another. They are like living in glass houses. What they do and say are heard and seen clearly by others.
Men who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Some do worse than that. They condemn and excommunicate. They drag one another to court. Modern society seems to go along this line.
Every man thinks he is more right and others should heed their views. In so doing, they hurt and get hurt if they do not abide by the axiom - silence is golden. Just talk less and do not add fuel to fire. Even one or two statements less make a world of difference to let the fire sizzle out.
Often better to keep silence so as not to instigate any semblance of schism and division among men, more so men who are in the same glass house and open to full view of the world outside. This applies to men and women of the same house of God, be it a temple or church.
Even fools are wise if they keep silent. It is the supposedly wiser ones who are fools if they cannot keep their gaps shut. They talk to point out and solve problems but may end up not solving any but causing more problems.
They are far from wise in talking at the wrong time and talking unnecessarily. They are not intelligent. Those they consider fools may be wiser and more intelligent if they can keep the silence.
Proverbs 17:28 of the Christian Bible says thus, “even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
Even the Buddha in his lifetime as man more than 2558 years ago kept his silence and stayed away from the two factions of monks splitting hairs on an issue. This is more telling considering that the Buddha is the fully enlightened one.
How much more must we keep the silence and maintain the peace? We can do so by talking less and not disturb the fragile peace around and among men.
We must not only talk less but also we must not show fingers to ruffle the unease between men. This will only attract the attention of men to the issue of contention.
It is like dropping a small pebble on to a seemingly calm surface of a pond where there is some stirring of undercurrent that is not obvious. Ripples will be sent out in all directions and the under the surface undercurrent may be made more obvious.
Ripples will abound if there is bone of contention. Let there be no bone of contention and if any, let there be quiet and peace when there is silence and inaction. Inaction can at times be the best action and option.
Thus Proverbs 17:28 of the Christian Bible deserves more of our attention. “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” This 'beatitude' or beautiful attitude is found in all religions. This is evidence that there is the common platform in religions though religions are different from one another.
This is another aspect of the saying by Lord Bo Tien that the near may be far and the far near.
Those who talk allot though they know little and want to be in the fore of matters in a temple are far from the heavenly saint of that temple. They may be near but yet are far from the saint.
Those who are devoted and stay quiet and faithful on the sidelines are near though far. They are humble though they know more but hold back their tongue and do not talk or act quickly. They prefer to keep silent until they know more and until the opportune time.
Even fools are wise if they keep silent. This applies to people in a temple or outside a temple. Give this more thought.
There will be more brotherly spirit among men if there is more silence in men who may often see eye to eye on matters of approach to life, be it in a temple or outside. There is no need to hurt one another by talking out aloud and throwing stones at one another.
In society, men do live in close proximity and often too close to one another. They are like living in glass houses. What they do and say are heard and seen clearly by others.
Men who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Some do worse than that. They condemn and excommunicate. They drag one another to court. Modern society seems to go along this line.
Every man thinks he is more right and others should heed their views. In so doing, they hurt and get hurt if they do not abide by the axiom - silence is golden. Just talk less and do not add fuel to fire. Even one or two statements less make a world of difference to let the fire sizzle out.
Often better to keep silence so as not to instigate any semblance of schism and division among men, more so men who are in the same glass house and open to full view of the world outside. This applies to men and women of the same house of God, be it a temple or church.
Even fools are wise if they keep silent. It is the supposedly wiser ones who are fools if they cannot keep their gaps shut. They talk to point out and solve problems but may end up not solving any but causing more problems.
They are far from wise in talking at the wrong time and talking unnecessarily. They are not intelligent. Those they consider fools may be wiser and more intelligent if they can keep the silence.
Proverbs 17:28 of the Christian Bible says thus, “even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
Even the Buddha in his lifetime as man more than 2558 years ago kept his silence and stayed away from the two factions of monks splitting hairs on an issue. This is more telling considering that the Buddha is the fully enlightened one.
How much more must we keep the silence and maintain the peace? We can do so by talking less and not disturb the fragile peace around and among men.
We must not only talk less but also we must not show fingers to ruffle the unease between men. This will only attract the attention of men to the issue of contention.
It is like dropping a small pebble on to a seemingly calm surface of a pond where there is some stirring of undercurrent that is not obvious. Ripples will be sent out in all directions and the under the surface undercurrent may be made more obvious.
Ripples will abound if there is bone of contention. Let there be no bone of contention and if any, let there be quiet and peace when there is silence and inaction. Inaction can at times be the best action and option.
Thus Proverbs 17:28 of the Christian Bible deserves more of our attention. “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” This 'beatitude' or beautiful attitude is found in all religions. This is evidence that there is the common platform in religions though religions are different from one another.
