The little red book of wisdom
By Bill Ellis
SCOTT DEPOT, WV (ANS) -- Is
there such a thing as "The little red book of wisdom?" If so, where can
you find it and how much will it cost and will it be worth the price?
When I listen to the daily news reports, I usually ask, "What happened
to intelligence and wisdom?" Where are the men and women of even a
modest degree of either? Are we in danger of becoming a world of
babblers? I hope not.
Wisdom is related to knowledge,
experience, erudition, insight, sagacity and common sense. It was
Ambrose Bierce who defined wisdom as "A special knowledge in excess of
all that is known." Jacob Anatoli called it "The soul's natural food."
We often show our lack of wisdom when
we try to discuss things we know little about. Wisdom is knowing how to
deal with what we think we know. I have been reminded and reprimanded
more than once of this truth, "Keep your mouth shut and others will
never know the scope of your ignorance. Open it and quickly remove all
doubt."
Recently, I discovered "The Little
Red Book of Wisdom" (Thomas Nelson, 2007). It is definitely red and
little with only 169 pages. Captivating, dynamic, powerful, straight to
the mind and heart and filled with what we all need to know only begins
to describe it. It is a "must read" and a slow reader can capture it in
an hour or two.
I started with the title page and
moved quickly to the exciting dedication pages, eagerly read the
interesting and informative acknowledgements, was excited by the table
of contents and found the preface to be priceless. What a book! I
usually skip all those pages. I was nearly out of breath when I reached
chapter I and it was titled "A Matter of Death and Life." How exciting
can a book get?
This book of wisdom has just 23 brief
chapters which deal with the extremely important things that every
parent, student, teacher, doctor, preacher, lawyer, banker, athlete,
laborer, factory worker, psychologist, carpenter, mother, father,
business leader, farmer, coal miner, policeman, secretary, teenager,
husband, wife, cook, scientist, clerk, car salesman and everybody else
needs to read. It deals with all the major issues of life such as
thinking, learning, earning a living, sex, listening, the umbrellas of
life and the turtle sitting on the fence post.
I wish I could have read this book 40
years ago. Had I done so my life would have been a lot more fulfilling
and successful. That, however, would have been impossible. The
brilliant writer and man of wisdom, Mark DeMoss, was still a child when
I really needed his book. I read it when I was past 50, but it is
already proving to be a valuable asset. It is the kind of book I will
read over and over.
Somebody said: "The only person less
popular than a wise guy is a wise guy who is right." A highly
perceptive person added: "What this country needs is a special
encyclopedia with blank pages for those who know everything." Lord
Chestefield in "Letters to His Son", advised, "Be wiser than other
people if you can; but do not tell them so." There is wisdom and humor
in those words.
I recall these words; "Wisdom is the
principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get
understanding"(Proverbs 4:7). Another Proverb states: "Knowledge in
youth is wisdom in age." So be it.
Bill Ellis is a syndicated
columnist, and
convention and conference speaker on every continent. He is the writer
of more than 1600 columns and widely known as a motivator utilizing
enjoyment of life and just plain fun and laughter while speaking to
high school, university and professional sports teams as well as to
business and professional groups of all kinds. His keen understanding
of human problems make him a favorite speaker for youth, parent, and
senior adult meetings. He is accompanied by Kitty, his wife, favorite
singer, editor and publisher.
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