Back to School : Ah, for Wisdom!

Children across North Carolina and Moore

County are back in school now.  Their teachers

are charged with a monumental task-- to bestow

knowledge to arm them for life's tasks.  And even

more, to foster wisdom that will guide them 

through the unforeseeable future.

I've always been interested in wise sayings and

considered wisdom a valuable commodity. It has

a close relationship with "common sense" and

both are in short supply.  King Solomon prayed

for wisdom and it was granted by God.  The very

 first chapter of Proverbs in the Bible proclaims

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

I agree wholeheartedly.  

Yet what fool doesn't consider himself wise?

Ah, if only wisdom were there for the taking.

I'd like to share some "international" tidbits

of wisdom I've come across in a book recently.

Disclaimer:  These are neither biblical nor

necessarily true, but I thought they were clever.

The ruin of a nation begins in the homes

of its people. ~ African

It's better to bind your children to you by

gentleness than fear. ~ American

Those who advise you never pay the cost

of your taking it. ~ Belgian

Learning is a treasure which accompanies

its owner everywhere. ~ Chinese

Big thieves hang the little ones. ~ Czechoslovakian

All wish to live long, but never to be called old.

~ Danish

The man is the head, but the woman is the neck,

and the neck turns the head. ~ English

Young men think old men foolish, and old men

know young men to be so. ~ English

In an argument, he who loses his temper

is in the wrong. ~ French

*****

And here are three to wrap it up.

(A little twist on a familiar one) 

Look before you leap, for snakes

among sweet flowers creep. ~ French

Some men are wise.

Some are otherwise. ~ American

See no evil.  Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

As a teacher I had a class "Declaration of

Independence." One of its components was
"I can make wise decisions."

If a child achieves that single goal, it will

carry him far.  Let us all help.