“We need wisdom,” Ken and Maybeth Gray wrote in their 1967 circular, with a picture
of Paul and me in this family of twelve.
“This according to the Scriptures is the gift of God, and we would ask
you to pray that we may have a double measure of this gift. When existentialism, situational ethics, the
new morality, and the God is dead movement converge on one poor couple all at
once, believe me, they need someone to stand with them. It is all well and good to say that these are
just old problems in a new coat—they are new problems to those who are
currently plagued by them. Here is the
place for understanding and the need for wisdom shows up in making the decision
of when to speak your mind and when to hold your peace.”
“How much better is it to get wisdom
than gold” says Proverbs. “Teach us to
number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Wisdom is more than knowledge or savvy. I think it has to do with integrating our
natural intelligence with experience leavened with moral sentiment and
humility. “For in much wisdom is much
grief.” Wisdom is more than
manipulating data, navigating bureaucracies, and getting people to do what you
want them to do. It ultimately
culminates in knowing and liking ourselves and others and marveling at the
vastness of our ignorance.