“The words of the
wise spoken in quiet are more acceptable than the cry of a ruler among fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:17-18)
These verses reiterate that wisdom speaks words
of persuasion that in their quietness guide the ignoramuses to their freedom
from attachments, obsessions and addictions. The latter are ego’s shouting
rules over its fantasies and illusions that lead consciousness to destroy the
goodness that is its freedom.
“Dead flies cause
the oil of the perfumer to send forth a bad odor, so does a little folly
outweigh wisdom and honor. The heart of the wise is at his right hand, and the
heart of a fool at his left. Yes, also when the fool walks by the way, his
understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.” (10:1-3)
The metaphors in these verses speak for
themselves. We should not spoil goodness as our essence and true identity with
anything different than its ways and attributes. This is another reiteration
that there are clear differences between good and evil, and if they are mixed,
the result is another trait of evil.
The dead flies indeed represent the futility of
ego’s fantasies and illusions that spoil the pleasant fragrance of love’s ways
and attributes. In the foolish choice of evil ways there is no wisdom or honor,
for they act contrary to even common sense and décor.
Here the heart is the
conscious self with which we make our choices. As long as we have a clear
judgment to approach life, the plain wisdom in common sense leads us to the
right decision.
The wrong approach is the foolish assumption
that materialistic desires, fantasies and illusions lead us to the good life we
stupidly believe that comes from them.
Our discernment and understanding are
factually absent from a self-centered approach to life. The actions coming from
our foolishness speak about who we are.
“If the spirit
of the ruler goes up against you, do not leave your place; for yielding quiets
great sinners.” (10:4)
We can understand that rulers are not only those
who govern peoples, nations or kingdoms. These also represent the guiding and
directing principles that govern our life. If these act as slave masters or
oppressors against us, we must ignore them and take refuge in the positive
traits and qualities that lead us to positive situations and circumstances. In
the latter lies the peace and balance that keep us away from negative thoughts,
emotions, feelings and actions.
No comments:
Post a Comment