A little-known book from ancient times that provides timeless wisdom
Many in the various online spheres have turned to ancient wisdom to help navigate and look for insights into how to manage the various problems and obstacles of life. Stoicism, an ancient Roman philosophy, for example, has become very popular in recent years. Greek and Roman literature contains much that is praiseworthy and still very useful as advice. You should not neglect another ancient book, however, the Bible. Tthe book of the Bible that I bring to you today is not found in most Bibles. You will need a Catholic or Orthodox bible or one that includes what is called by some the “Apocrypha.”
Today I bring you five quotes from the Book of Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus and not to be confused with Ecclesiastes.) The Book of Sirach was written in Hebrew around the year 200 BC and was translated into Greek by the author’s grandson around 170 BC. It is basically the teaching of a man named Jesus ben Sira who was probably some sort of sage, perhaps an early version of a rabbi. In it, he writes in mostly aphoristic form, very similar to the Book of Proverbs. In fact, much of the book is very easy to read for it is just quotes written by ben Sira. For much of history, the original Hebrew version was lost but in the 20th century, enough scraps of the Hebrew have been discovered to recover about 2/3 of the original. Now, here are the quotes:
A patient man will endure until the right moment,
and then joy will burst forth for him.
He will hide his words until the right moment,
and the lips of many will tell of his good sense. 1:23-24
Patience. Often we fill ourselves with so much anxiety that we forget to just do our task or our duty and then just wait. Often waiting is difficult, especially in this modern world where we can post something and get an immediate or near-immediate reaction from someone on the other side of the world. There is also this phenomenon online about people criticizing everything someone does. Top creators have to deal with the constant ankle-biting from trolls and haters. If you see something wrong online maybe just wait a few days and see if it is corrected. If it is not, then just move on. It is not always your job to correct other people or tell them what to do. Do you want to know when the right moment to speak up is? How about waiting until you are asked your opinion, then saying it? If your advice is disregarded, well sometimes that is all you can do.
Forsake not an old friend,
for a new one does not compare with him.
A new friend is like new wine;
when it has aged you will drink it with pleasure. 9:10
Friendship. Everybody online has “friends” but are they really friends? The friends in real life are they really friends or just acquaintances you get together with on the weekend? In the modern west people often move around several times in their lives. Many leave their place of birth and move to different locations for school and/or work. It is difficult to find someone that still has the same friends or even one friend from childhood. I know that for me I haven’t even talked to anyone from high school since I graduated. But the old friends you do have those are the ones you know are the true friends. And I would riff a little on ben Sira here by saying that you should not forsake the new friend either because that is how you turn him into an old friend.
Do not praise a man for his good looks,
nor loathe a man because of his appearance. 11:2
Have you ever heard the phrase do not judge a book by its cover? Do you know the story of the ugly duckling? Same idea here. Of course, the same could apply to women. In this day and age, everything has become so visual. It is difficult to really get to know someone just based on appearance and yet that is often all we get, especially online. But even in real life you often realize that that person who is all disheveled is actually really smart and has some interesting things to say. Or they are very good at their job. On the other hand, we have all met the smartly dressed con man (or woman) who only is interested in scamming and fraud. No one likes that. Yet we humans use our eyesight primarily and so we tend to be drawn to what is pleasing to the eyes. Ben Sira says don’t focus on that so much.
Whoever pays heed to slander will not find rest,
nor will he settle down in peace. 28:16
This is an important quote for creators in this day and age. It goes without saying but if criticism or harassment rises to the level of legal slander then you should take care of that. But most of the time, most of us do not have large million people (or “friends”) following us so we do not get the vicious hate some online creators get. It really is remarkable how some people seem to camp on a page of certain creators just waiting to crap on their blog post or picture or story. What do they get out of it? I will never understand that.
So pay no heed to it as ben Sira says. It is all designed to take your attention and energy away from what you love. You got into content creation, into writing, into art, because you had something to say, something to share with the world. This shows that you are already a good person because bad people are selfish and do not like to share. So don’t let the haters shatter your peace.
There is a reproof which is not timely;
and there is a man who keeps silent but is wise. 20:1
Back to the beginning of this post with this one. People who offer unsolicited advice have always been with us. That means the way to deal with them and their reproof is the same.
Also, if you have this tendency, whether in real life or online, learn to shut up. You will often find yourself in new situations with new people. Why would you immediately want to come off as annoying? Learn to stay quiet and speak only when you are the expert on the subject and even then do not be so quick to correct people. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just shut up. If you are asked your opinion then go ahead and share what you know. If you are the expert in your group, be generous with your knowledge but also patient; remember that not everyone will know what you know nor is everyone as quickly as we want to.
In your search for ancient wisdom to read and learn from do not discount the Bible. Gems and golden pieces of wisdom can be found anywhere. Ultimately the real lesson here is to never stop learning and always be seeking to learn from everything and everyone.
Quotes are taken from here.