Proverbial Wisdom

Proverbs are little sayings that give us advice on how to live our lives. One thing is certain, and that is us Brits, like many other cultures, love them!! There are proverbs to use in almost any circumstances. Most of us use these sayings frequently, without even thinking about their meanings. We were brought up with them; our parents used them, and their parents before that, and so on, for so many generations that they are now just part of everyday life. 

So, for example, if a friend buys something very extravagant we may find ourselves saying “a fool and his money are easily parted”, meaning that a foolish person will squander money without any thought of tomorrow.  If we are thinking of making a big change in our life, maybe we are fed up with our boss and decide to look for a new job, we may well be advised that it’s “better the devil you know, than the one you don’t know”. This suggests that it is better to deal with someone who, although may be difficult, is familiar, rather than risking a change and ending up dealing with someone far more troublesome. On the same lines we often hear “out of the frying pan into the fire”, again suggesting that if we leap into a decision without due care and consideration we may find that we have gone from one bad situation to another which is much worse! “Look before you leap” again favours caution, but what about “he who hesitates is lost”? This seems to be the green light to go for it – whatever “it” may be! 

So, what should we do if these proverbs offer conflicting advice? And yes, there are lots of them. We all know that it is no use worrying what the future holds because “what will be, will be”; but we have also heard “life is what you make of it”. We know that “two heads are better than one”, meaning when we discuss things and get input from others we are most likely to find a better solution, but then again we are also familiar with “if you want something done right, do it yourself”!  

Of course, we are taught from a young age that it is “better to be safe than to be sorry” but also “nothing ventured, nothing gained” – more conflicting advice! How about setting about changing things we don’t agree with. On one hand “actions speak louder than words”, but then again “the pen is mightier than the sword”. So, is direct action the way forward, or should we think petitions and speeches? One of my favourites proverbs is “birds of a feather stick together”, suggesting that we seek the company of people who think and act in a similar way to ourselves, but weigh this against “opposites attract” meaning that we are drawn towards people who are completely different from ourselves.

We could go on and on looking at proverbs and conflicting proverbs. We all know them, and, as a wise old owl I believe there is some truth in each and every one of them. Think of the saying “out of the mouths of babes” which suggests that children can make remarks and comments that are very true and wise beyond their years. This is certainly true; often children will say something that shows an amazing amount of insight. Then again I would not argue with “with age comes wisdom” as experience teaches us a lot. To me proverbs are fun and contain an element of truth, we all know them and use them often. However, we cannot rely on them for answers to every situation. We need to do what we think is best for ourselves and our families.....and if we look hard enough I’m sure we will find a proverb that agrees with our actions!                 

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