Tag Archives: wisdom

The Value of Age.

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As a person gets older, it is expected that wisdom follows. Wisdom is a combination of experience and knowledge. There is a famous saying, that has been written on many walls, knowledge is power. But the sad part of that saying is that knowledge is not power. It is knowledge (understanding) + experience = wisdom, then it is wisdom applied that equals power. As a young man so many things were handed to me. First, my parents paid for my college tuition and books. All I had to do is work for spending money. I worked at a burger place on campus. All the social things got in the way of my college education and I failed. If that was not enough, it was the height of the Vietnam war. And I was #41 in the draft. I did not learn what I was supposed to. It was not the college work, it was the living skills.

I fumbled around for a few years, until I decided that I was going to get my life on tract for success. Once I became focused on living up to my potential, I began working toward that goal. It took hard work and many hours to get wisdom in my life. I did not succeed in all my endeavors. But the ones that I did succeed in were great. I truly believe that the failures keep a person balanced in life. If all you have is success, where is the growing part of your life? It is true that we grow in all our failures or completely fail.

It took a lot of wisdom to keep me from becoming bitter about life. I had to apply the wisdom I had learned to keep my on track. All of my paths were lonely. I alone had to figure out what was the best way for me. I had to struggle against myself to accomplish my goals. This is how we succeed.

I worked retail for 35 years. Then I began to write. I have always wanted to write, even when I was young. I have written 5 books so far. Only published one and had one on Kindle. I have been blogging for 9 years, Joseph1637.com. It has been very interesting. I even had one blog go viral. It was Disconnect 1.0. It went around the world. I had comments from most every country, starting in Europe, to the Middle East, then Asia, then Australia and back to America. There were over 15,000 comments in one month. I have followers in China, Europe, South America and North America. Success is relative. But I have enjoyed the success that I have received. I understand, just like the roman generals after their victories that paraded in Rome, Glory is Fleeting.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

There is Nothing New under the Sun!

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Almost 3000 years ago King Solomon lived. His reign was extraordinary. Solomon was and has been the richest man ever to live on earth. The Temple was clad in gold. His guards were dressed better than any king or queen. All of his gold was kept inside the walls of Jerusalem. The silver was dumped on the ground outside the walls. He control the known world. His rule stretched from China to Britain. Solomon is the only man to do this, because of God’s gift to him. God gave Solomon wisdom beyond any man including today. Kings and Queens would travel to Jerusalem just to hear him speak. He wrote the book of Proverbs in one day.

Yet with all this wisdom, He said, that with much wisdom comes great sorrow. Solomon could see what people were thinking about as they went about their daily lives. He could see their suffering and pain and understood why. The wisdom didn’t control him, but it began to weigh heavily on him. Reading what he wrote in the beginning of his reign and what he wrote in the end, you would say it isn’t the same man.

The book of Ecclesiastes was written before his death. It is a no nonsense approach to living. It is very matter of fact. There is hardly any emotion in the book at all. Solomon had become jaded of life. It is because he saw too much of the good and bad in life. The book is true none the less.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun. What had gone before shall be again. Thus the saying that history repeats itself. What Solomon saw in humanity is the sin nature of man. That nature that always wants to do evil in this world. It brought him much sorrow. Solomon saw that education, enough food and a stable government didn’t change anything. And people weren’t willing to listen to God and follow Him. There were some, because God has always had His people. But people looked to Solomon as their savior.

Solomon understood the truth. That man can’t live without God. As God spoke to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” What was true 3000 years ago and is true today. For you see, there is nothing new under the sun.

Crain Blanchard

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

How do we learn?

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Most people would just say in school. Thinking about our formal education. But how much of the knowledge that you learned in school did you retain in life? For most people we have retain some of the knowledge, but how many people have retain that knowledge? The knowledge didn’t become real until they applied it to a practical application. When they took the knowledge and did something with it. How many people remembered the first time you applied your knowledge and it went wrong. You messed up something important. And the world came down on you. Then what happened? We had to face the truth of our reality. More experienced people had to step in the correct our mistaken. If we were blessed, we had someone who could guide us in the right path. Some didn’t. But in either case, you remembered how to apply the knowledge we learned. Even if it is years later, you still remember how to apply the knowledge in a workable way.

Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom. Wisdom = Discretion. This is the application of Proverbs. Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs in one day. He asked God for wisdom to rule Israel. God gave him the wisdom of the ages. He understood the workings of mankind. He saw how everything worked and fit together. No one could trick him. Kings and Queens of many nations travel to Jerusalem to see and understand the wisdom of God. Many people have tried to rule the whole, but only one man has ever ruled the world. That man was Solomon. Through the wisdom of God, Solomon conquered, made treaties with and received tribute from all the nations of the known world. He was the richest man to ever live. Solomon kept all the gold inside the walls of Jerusalem. He dumped the silver on the ground outside the city.

So Solomon past on the wisdom of the ages and taught Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom. Wisdom = Discretion.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com