Wisdom for the Kids/8: Creative Paradoxes

There are a few things that you need to know that your adults may not think to tell you.  They may think these things are obvious, or they may never have learned these things themselves.  Knowing these bits of wisdom will make your life better.  That is why I share them with you.  This is Part Eight.  Live well. 

SOME CREATIVE PARADOXES

Respect the creative tension of opposing qualities and values.  Sometimes an idea can only be understood by viewing it from two or more divergent perspectives.  Sometimes an apparent contradiction is simply seeing opposite sides of a single coin.

The Paradox of Pride and Humility

There are two different things we lump together and call pride.  One “pride” is characterized by an attitude of justifiable satisfaction, of contentedness, the feeling of having done well.  The other “pride” is characterized by vanity, self-importance, and arrogance.  The former is a quality common among saints.  The latter is one of the seven deadly sins. 

How can you be sure your pride is the good and honorable kind of pride?  Humility.  If you can feel humble at the same time you feel proud, then yours is the right kind of pride.  Saintly pride walks hand in hand with humility.  Arrogant pride cannot coexist with humility.   

The Paradox of Prosperity and Generosity

Prosperity is sometimes the result of a blessed environment and fortuitous circumstances.  It is sometimes the result of hard work.  Most often it results from a combination of both. 

One who is prosperous has a moral obligation to be generous. 

• Point of emphasis:  Moral obligation, not Legal obligation. 
• Thus the selfish may choose to keep for himself all his financial gains.  But if he chooses his own gratification over all others, he must not expect that the others will be compassionate or generous to him in the event that his prosperity ever falters. 
• Prosperity should lead to generosity.

The Paradox of Justice and Compassion

Justice is the fair enforcement of moral and ethical standards.  Justice tempered with kindness and applied to a repentant and determined subject, is compassion.    

Demanding justice is the right of the aggrieved.  It is not wrong.  It is not even unkind.  Justice is an absolute.

Failure to do justice because of fear, weakness, or apathy is not compassion, but simple injustice. 

Justice without compassion may lead to legalistic oppression.  True compassion can only exist in the shadow of justice.

An attempt to juxtapose justice and compassionate will lead to the breakdown of law, injustice, anarchy, tyranny, and cruelty. 

The Paradox of Freedom and Law

The characteristics of a society based on good law include justice, individual empowerment, and prosperity.  The absence of law (anarchy) is characterized by inequality, cruelty, injustice, poverty, and tyranny.

Without law, there is no constraint to prevent one from taking advantage of another, so oppression is rampant.  When there is law, oppression is prevented by the consent of the masses who have established the law.

Sometimes, through manipulation or misunderstanding, law can become twisted such that it does not prevent oppression, but enables it.  When the law is distorted, it is the obligation of the people to repair it.  A law which oppresses is a perversion.

Freedom comes by way of law.  Through good law the people experience security and find opportunity. 

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This concludes the August 2011 version of "Wisdom for the Kids."  There is only one very important bit of wisdom remaining to be shared in this series, and it is this:

Wisdom can never be fully contained within any one person, book, creed, or philosophical construct.  Anyone who tells you they have ALL the answers is either a very UNWISE person, or perhaps is attempting to deceive you.  No matter how wise you may become, there will always be more bits of wisdom out there for you to discover.  Keep looking for them. 

Thanks for reading.

Gryphem