Foolish, Foolish People

I don’t know much about horses but something that I have seen is how if you don’t want them to become spooked then they have to have blinders, and that keeps them looking straightforward and not to the sides. I sometimes think that that is where we are in today’s society as well. Too many people have turned to the world to find wisdom and so are only looking in one direction, yet they fail to realize that the best wisdom comes from following God and reading the words of the bible. The best wisdom also comes from not blaming others for what we choose to do.

My friend Paula sends me (and I know that includes several others, as well) wonderful thoughts and prayers for each day during the work week. Her theme this month of April is about not being a fool. One day, she sent a message that included this verse, Proverbs 14:8, “The wise man looks (thinks) ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts.” This also brings to mind something else that we need to think about. How does a person become wise? Also, what makes them wise?

Although I know that I am not always wise, I know that I am wiser than the world because I see my own faults (mostly) and acknowledge them (mostly). We have to take our own blinders off and look around. We need to learn from others and see what historical events can teach us (those who’ve made mistakes so that we don’t repeat them ourselves).

No one likes to admit fault, I get that. Trust me, it’s a very humbling experience, overall. However, I do know that it sure can become a character builder. I’d take that over being a fool, any day!

So, what did I learn from this? I believe that this life journey that we’re on is full of hills and valleys (Related post: Traversing the hills and valleys of life with grace). It’s how we deal with it that counts. It’s also about what we learned and then we can see how it can help us to become a better version of ourselves. I also know that while I can mourn for how others choose to act, I can’t change them. I can only change myself but I can, hopefully, influence someone to change themselves when they observe my behavior. It kind of comes full circle, don’t you think?

What can you gain from this? I believe that once you take your own blinders off, you begin to see the world in a whole different way. Remember that a fool keeps repeating the same old mistakes while wanting to get a different result. It doesn’t work that way. So stop and reevaluate why you need to change in the first place. Think about the result you want to achieve and change your course. After all, it is your path to take. (Related post: Just going with the flow….)