We are surrounded by unprecedented insights and understanding. We know more about the natural world, the human genome, and life at the molecular level than our ancestors might have dreamed possible.
Yet in the midst of this awesome wisdom we seem more lost and unsure than ever. We both consciously and unconsciously sidestep the wisdom handed us because we fear the limitations associated with it. We fear these ‘rules’ might hamper our grand potential so we live according to a paradigm of our own construction, borrowing bits here and there to round out our world view and ethical imperative.
And this all works out fine as long as nothing major goes wrong. Unfortunately, things rarely trend positive in perpetuity. Real life happens and we are suddenly shaken from our grandiose self assuredness and thrust back into a world we neither control nor understand. No matter our efforts to achieve self-actualization we always come up shy.
King Solomon, history's wisest man, collected his musings in the book of Proverbs. Following an introduction, the first and foremost advice he offers which underpins the entire book of Proverbs is this simple line:
“Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.”
For us to learn something, on some level we must first admit that we don't know everything. Once we accept the admission, we turn to experts to teach us information and skill sets. We pay careful attention to their guidance and emulate them in order to achieve success in the field of their expertise. However, when it comes to life itself we are errantly reliant on self-discovery.
Say I want to learn to throw a Curve Ball. I can valiantly strive to achieve this feat on my own. And with time and luck I might achieve a level of success. But how much time am I left to perfect this skill given I have already dedicated such time to the discovery itself. Furthermore, what is the chance I can realize the upper echelon skill without guidance at the 300 and 400 level? And even if I managed to stumble onto that, how much time would I be left with to actually perform this skill before my body and mind gave way? I submit that the majority of my opportunity might already be lost. What if instead we heeded the advice of the master in most significant item we hold: our lives themselves.
I encourage you this week to let go the supreme burden of discovering all the truths of life on your own. It's an act conducted in vain that will only result in our disappointment. Step one, as Solomon highlights above, is to submit that you don't know everything and seek the One who does. Proverbs is a book rich in wisdom, but all of it begins submission. I encourage you to continue with us in this study as we mine the timeless knowledge laid bare. In doing so we all might start living life on a higher level.