Right in His Own Eyes

For Thursday, September 8, 2005
Proverbs 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.

This is the problem of the fool. Because he has a foolish perspective about himself, he cannot learn and escape from his foolishness. He thinks he is charming when he is boorish. He believes he knowledgeable about things of which he is ignorant. He cannot read the faces of those who see him as a fool; and when they do express their feelings, he attributes their reaction to jealousy. If he is a student and doing poorly, he attributes the problem to the teacher, thinking that he is a good student. If he does poorly at work, he blames others, unable to see his faults.

The wise man is wise precisely because he does listen to others. Because he is wise he knows who to listen to; he even knows how to benefit from the advice of the foolish. He is attentive to others; he observes before forming his opinions; he asks perceptive questions. He is also quick to give credit where it is due. He is unashamed to change his ideas when someone presents a better point of view; he welcomes the expertise that he does not possess; he will even accept correction by someone who has less knowledge than he.

Why the different reactions? Because the wise love wisdom and the fools love being thought wise. Thus the wise gain wisdom, while the fools remain stuck in their foolishness.