Wisdom Leads to Good Decisions and Good Living

HS #7  2016.2.2

A few years ago, a friend with obviously strong opinions concerning home décor was showing me around Grand Haven.  Passing a particular white brick house, she disclosed that it had been her former home. Originally a traditional red brick, she had decided to have it painted white. So she had hired a painter and showed him the shade that she had chosen.

However, the painter objected. He explained that after the paint dried on the brick, it would look different than she was imagining, so she really wanted a different shade. She was equally adamant that she knew what she wanted, and instructed him to use her choice.

With neither able to convince the other, the painter offered a compromise. He would use her choice of color, but if she didn’t like it, he’d be willing to repaint at no charge. She, of course, agreed to his generous offer.  So he painted the house and after letting it fully dry, he called her outside. “Now, is THAT what you wanted?”  “Yes – perfect - that is exactly what I wanted!”   “Great! - glad you like it - I painted it my color.”

That’s one of my favorite true stories – made all the better because the victim was telling it on herself.  But for the moment, I’d like to focus on the painter. He was a wise man.

Wisdom, it seems, includes two ingredients possessed by the painter:  cleverness and a deep understanding of human nature.  He had the cleverness to conceive a plan that he was confident would provide the best result, while still providing an “out” just in case.  But why did he disclose the truth?  The painter is endearing because he wasn’t going to leave without the satisfaction of letting his obstinate customer know that he had been right.  Cocky? Of course.   But also wise. He knew himself and the equally strong-willed homeowner well enough to realize that there would be no hard feelings, and that they would both enjoy telling the story.

These attributes of wisdom are found in others as well. I have heard (and a quick internet research supports) that two main Biblical characters are described as having wisdom.  Those familiar with Biblical literature likely know one of them to be Solomon – the third king of Israel who lived about 1000 BC during its glory days. The second lived 500 years later, after Israel had been defeated and led into captivity by the Babylonians.  The young captive Daniel and his friends were also described as possessing wisdom.

Notice that, like the painter, both of these men solved dilemmas with the combination of cleverness and understanding of human nature.

Solomon’s wisdom was marvelously revealed when he adjudicated a celebrated case involving two prostitutes who lived together.  When one of their newborn infants died, each claimed to be the mother of the survivor. Without neighbors or relatives who recognized the infant, one can imagine lower court judges trying unsuccessfully to ferret out the truth by calling witnesses who likely had paid little attention to the two women. Solomon’s cleverness of thought and deep understanding of human nature revealed the truth.  When he bluffed by ordering the surviving baby to be cut in two in order to be fair to both women, the true mother revealed herself by entreating that the child live – even if given to the other. Solomon’s command, “Give the child to it mother” gives me goose bumps. It was every bit as unexpected, yet – seen in retrospect – every bit as obvious as the painter’s solution.  What a story!

Daniel showed similar cleverness.  When he and his friends were instructed by the King to eat rich food for the sake of their health, Daniel was in a dilemma. He did not want to defile himself with the rich diet, but he fully appreciated the plight of his supervisor who would be killed if Daniel and his friends lost their youthful luster. So Daniel suggested a controlled experiment of ten days on vegetables for them.  After proving the truth of Michael Pollan’s counsel, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Daniel and his friends were allowed to keep to their convictions.

So whether from one of these, or from my own mother who when asked by her competitive teenage son and daughter which of them had the better tan, replied, “Beth’s is more golden and even, and Tim’s is more dark and rugged,” we see that wisdom leads to good decisions and good living.