TRUTH, PRUDENCE, DILIGENCE, A GOOD WORD June 15, 2020

This was a good day as any, to think about the Word we read in Proverbs 12, particularly verses 22 to 25.

Verse 22 says, “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that dwell truly are His delight.”  In our country we witness one esteemed journalist being convicted to a 6-year jail term for libel, together with her researcher.  A lot of parties decry what they believe as violations of the rights to free speech and the freedom of the press.  Indeed, in a civil society, those rights are inalienable.  But as one of my teachers and mentors has said, “your right to free speech ends where it infringes on my right to have a good name.”  It seems people have forgotten the issue of the case which deals with publishing something that should have been more deeply examined whether true or unbiased.  Good thing bail was availed of, and she still has a chance to appeal, but the fact remains that after 8 years, one of our respectable courts have adjudged her to be lying and besmirching the reputation of another.  GOD only knows who is lying or telling the truth, and what benefits and harm they have done or gotten from it.  But it makes one think, with the long-time abuse of our media on their freedom which businessmen, celebrities and government officials are precluded from reacting negatively, since one jurisprudence has it that “...in the public eye, they should not be onion-skinned,” cases like these are the exceptions to the rule.  We’re seeing a new world, indeed.

Verse 23 meanwhile talks about, “A prudent man conceals knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaim foolishness.” I am suddenly reminded of the saying that “squeaky wheel gets the grease”—people who talk and whine a lot get all the attention—but it is useless because a squeaky wheel may not really need all that grease, because as any good mechanic can tell, wheels need to be cleaned before greasing, rebalanced and realigned too, for them to be able to function well.  It seems people who are not filling their minds and lives with good substance, are the ones who are more vocal than those who know better.  And so too, people who do not really understand and know deeply seem to be more wordy than those who do.

Verse 24 tells us that, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”  I am inspired by the stories of some OFWs and local workers who, when they lost jobs because of the pandemic, were able to exploit seemingly ordinary opportunities and still earn a living and do well, without losing hope and drive for a better life.

Then verse 25 says, “Heaviness in the heart of man makes him stoop: but a good word makes him glad.”  Nobody is unaffected by the crisis that has enveloped the world today, and every day, many of us truly spend our moments with a heavy heart.  But the wise, the prudent, the faithful and true know better than to wallow in despair.  They always seek for a good word—inspiration, motivation, encouragement, uplifting thoughts and words—to make it through and move on.

If the new normal that awaits us makes our hearts heavy, we would do well to diligently work to thrive in it, while keeping our values of honesty, fairness, truthfulness, faithfulness, prudence, and hope whole.  For after all, in any endeavour, is it not that more than winning or just surviving, we have worked well, we have played fairly, learned our lessons and became all the more wiser?