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Bruce, I believe - my experience is - that most of the great texts of the different world traditions can be used as paths to discover or pursue wisdom. I think that's much of why they are thought to be "great" - and have inspired people over centuries. What "works" in any era or place? - an interesting discussion. My own "practice" includes a great deal of "body-work" - yoga for 15+ years (in a "rational" vein - I can explain!) - violin practice - and part of my larger study is in the context of body-mind dualism. So I appreciate this part of your article. How workouts "work" - a very good question - about which I think a good deal. (Part of being is being a body in gravity, which has increasing effects as we age. We can specify many of them. More than reading or studying Proverbs or Lao-tze or...I find it most interesting to try to figure out how those thinkers thought - extrapolating from their times to these, and "walk" with them/their thinking throughout each day. I play, for example, with Nietzsche's "Zarathustra" living way up high both of the world, yet removed. I try to understand different traditions in terms of "life-paradoxes" - important in western thought -change vs. permanence - which we try to resolve, rather than deal with as complementary as do far Eastern thinkers. Is this all part of the pursuit of wisdom? Harvey On May 21, 2006, at 3:24 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote: > > I am not religious but I don't believe the theme of the article can > be ignored in the debate? > > Bruce > > _______________________________________________________________ > > > Are You Getting Your Daily Dose of Wisdom? > > Between 1987 and 2001, U.S. health club memberships grew by almost > 90% reaching a record 33 million members nationwide. In 2003, the > fitness craze is still booming. Americans today belong to health > and fitness centers where they put their bodies through all manner > of exercises that would make a medieval torturer proud. And I > applaud them for doing so! The gleaming chrome weight machines, the > lap pools, the isometric stations, the stair-steppers, the medicine > balls, the rowing machines-I’ve almost broken a sweat just thinking > about all the modern ways we’ve invented to keep ourselves healthy > and energetic. > > Besides the psychological and emotional boost we get from a hard > workout, two things happen to us physically when we exercise. > First, our muscles are conditioned-the stretching and exertion keep > them toned and flexible. But second, and most important, we > replenish our body’s oxygen supply. Oxygen is a key element in good > health. In fact, it is said that over 90 percent of the nutrition > our body needs comes from the oxygen we breath, while less than 10 > percent comes from the food we eat. The human body suffers more > seriously from a deficit of abundant, clean oxygen than it does > from the absence of any other substance. We can live approximately > 40 days without food, perhaps four days without water, but only > three or four minutes without oxygen. > > Just as a few simple daily regimens will keep us in top shape > physically, the same thing is true in the spiritual realm. I > discovered how true this is at a men’s retreat a number of years > ago. The speaker challenged us to begin a practice he said would > change our lives dramatically. I was ready to write down a complex > spiritual formula which I was sure he must have discovered in > a dusty volume written by a monk in the Middle Ages. And I have to > admit I was initially a little disappointed at what I heard: “There > are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. I challenge you to read a > chapter a day each month-two chapters on one day in the months > having only 30 days-for the next year. Whatever the day’s date is, > read the corresponding chapter of Proverbs. If you do that > faithfully for a year, you will have read the book of Proverbs 12 > times and your life will never be the same.” > > I remember being intrigued by the simplicity of the notion and > decided to accept his challenge. In fact, the results were so > significant the first year that I have done it more than once in > the years since. I was amazed at how many times I found myself in a > situation during the day for which I had insight (or direction or > a warning) taken directly from that day’s reading in > Proverbs. I came to the conclusion during that period of my > spiritual life-a conviction I continue to hold today-that Proverbs > offers the simplest, yet most profound, daily spiritual “pick-me- > ups” to be found in all the Bible. To the degree that an apple a > day keeps the doctor away, a Proverb a day will keep spiritual > defeat away. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s one of the best places > to begin! > > Why is Proverbs so powerful-such an effective stimulant for > spiritual living? It is because each proverb provides the one thing > we all need in large daily doses: wisdom. But lest you think wisdom > is something possessed only by philosophers, professors, and > political sages, let’s look at what the word really means. There is > no more practical, down-to-earth, hands-on word in the Bible than > wisdom. > > Wisdom’s roots run deep into Old Testament soil. Most Hebrew verbs > were based on three consonants (vowels were added later). The > consonants h-k-m made up the foundation of the verb “be wise,” plus > the adjective “wise” and the noun “wisdom” (hokmah). Interestingly, > the word did not at first signify “wisdom,” but rather “skill.” For > instance, the h-k-m words were used to describe those who made the > high priest’s garments (Exodus 28:3), those who wove the tapestries > for the tabernacle (Exodus 35:35), those who piloted ships (Ezekiel > 27:8), those who spoke seductively (Psalm 58:5), those who carved > idols (Isaiah 40:20), and those who were crafty (II Samuel 13:3). > The concept was also used to describe skillful members of the > animal kingdom: ants, badgers, locusts, and spiders (Proverbs > 30:24-28). > > We would probably not think of any of the above people or animals > as wise in modern terms. But that’s because we tend to equate > “wisdom” with “intelligence.” If a person has a high I.Q., we > automatically think he must be very wise. But one can have great > intelligence without great wisdom, and vice versa. If the root idea > of wisdom is skill, then we can say that Proverbs will teach us the > skill of living. Just as there is skill in sewing, designing, > speaking, navigating, and carving, so there is skill needed for > living life effectively and successfully. And that is the kind of > wisdom the book of Proverbs offers its readers. > > Think of all the encounters you have in a week, and how many of > them require skillful navigation. You need direction for a big > decision; you’re confronted by an angry co-worker; immorality steps > into your path as a temptation; you receive an unexpected financial > windfall; your child is testing the limits of discipline; there’s > tension in your marriage; a close friend is devastated by a > personal tragedy. Those situations, and hundreds more we could > list, require skill-and they happen every day. Not a day goes by in > which we don’t feel hesitant, even confused, about how to act. Pure > and simple, we need wisdom-the skill of living life. And there are > numerous verses in Proverbs which address every category of crisis > we will ever face. > > Fortunately, wisdom from God is just a prayer away. The book in the > New Testament most like Proverbs is James. The hands-on nature of > James mirrors its Old Testament cousin. And James is the one who > tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who > gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given > to him” (James 1:5). > > The author of Proverbs, King Solomon, gained the wisdom to write > more than 3,000 proverbs the same way James advises us to get it: > by asking God (I Kings 4:32). When Solomon succeeded his father > David as king over Israel, God presented Solomon with a blank > check: “Ask! What shall I give you?” (see the story in I Kings 3). > Understandably, twenty year-old Solomon’s knees were knocking at > the prospect of being king. So instead of asking for riches and > long life, he asked God for wisdom, and God was true to His word: > “I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has > not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise > after you.” (And as a bonus, Solomon received riches and honor too; > verse 13.) > > Word of Solomon’s wisdom spread far and wide throughout the > nations. He wrote proverbs, composed songs (e.g., the Song of > Solomon), and taught about botany, agronomy, zoology, and all > facets of nature. Kings from the surrounding nations sent their > officials to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and some rulers made the > trip themselves-like the Queen of Sheba who journeyed from Africa > (I Kings 4:29-34; 10:1-10). > > For specific wisdom in unique situations, we may not have because > we have not asked (James 4:2). But in many more of life’s > situations, we may lack wisdom because we haven’t poured over the > proverbs of Solomon. I invite you to take up the challenge I > accepted-a challenge which changed my life. Check today’s date, > read the corresponding chapter of Proverbs, and keep it up for a > year. I believe you’ll be amazed how something so simple can > energize your spiritual life-and give you needed skill for living. > Get ready for 31 days to a more powerful you! > > by Dr. David Jeremiah > > www.turningpointonline.org > Back to From This Point Forward Directory