The Closet Professor

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 

—Proverbs 15:1

Like the old saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” Proverbs 15:1 tells us that being polite and flattering is more effective than being hostile or demanding. Proverbs 15 consists of thirty-three verses that, in various forms, tell us the difference between a wise man and a foolish man. Proverbs 15:2 says, “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.” Mark Twain said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” In a way, Twain condensed Proverbs 15 into one sentence. 

Often, people will try to do everything independently, but then they are not using all their available resources. We should listen to criticism or praise and learn from it. Proverbs 15:12 says, “A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, nor will he go to the wise.” If you find yourself with a problem you do not know how to fix, seek the answer from someone who does. Proverbs 15:28 says something similar, “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil,” in other words, “Think before you speak.”

When studying history, we are taught to be objective and to look at all the sources before reaching a conclusion. You may go in with preconceived ideas, but you have to be open to finding evidence that disproves your biased assessment. The same lesson is given in Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” If you only go on your assumptions, you might find the evidence to back up your claims, but if you look at an issue objectively and study all of the sources, you have a balanced and far more accurate portrayal of an event. 

The other lesson from Proverbs 15 is summed up in Proverbs 15:7, “The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so.” One of the problems with 24-hour news stations is that they follow an old tradition from print newspapers. In the early years of the newly formed United States, the American press grew rapidly during the First Party System (1790s-1810s) when both parties sponsored papers to reach their loyal partisans. Newspapers often told their political affiliation in the paper’s name, such as the Baltimore Republican or the Delta Democrat-Times in Mississippi.

In the same way, news channels have a predetermined perspective they want to portray, and they find the evidence to prove it, even if it skews what was said or written. They no longer spell out what party affiliation they pander to in their name, but we know who’s who anyway. They are often inflexible in their views, and their viewers become the same way. Most of these news channels claim to follow a more balanced version of the truth. They don’t. Proverbs 15:14 warns us, “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.” People watch the different news channels to be told what they want to hear instead of what is happening. Some are better than others at leaning more towards the truth, but all of them are flawed because their goal is to get viewers, and they attract viewers by telling them what they want to hear.

The primary purpose of Proverbs 15 is to tell us to “think before we speak,” “seek counsel from wiser people,” and “take criticism well.” These three things are challenging for some people, especially independent and strong-willed people. We all know that one person with no filter, and they speak before they think. We all know the person who forges ahead, trying to prove they know what they are doing when they need to ask for help. And here is one that I am sometimes bad at, we need to listen and learn from criticism, not get angry when someone tries to tell you something is incorrect or poorly worded. An old saying says, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Though there is also the Southern version, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.”

All of us are guilty of not following the advice of Proverbs 15. Sometimes we feel the world is moving too fast to stop and think, ask for help, or listen to advice. So, I challenge you today to take life a little slower. Consider how your words affect others, and seek help when needed.