this proverb is on the board right next to my desk and has been for the last 3 or so years. i remember when i first heard it how it cut me to the core. i'd always been one to have an opinion about EVERYTHING, but couldn't understand why my input was often ignored.
it's a very difficult thing to 'be quick to listen, slow to speak,' (james 1:19) but over the last several years, it's become slightly more fluid. the main result has been that of focus...discovering the few things that i am good at, and becoming an expert at those very few things. some people seem like they know it all, but i'm learning that everyone has gaps, holes in their understanding that cannot be plugged by their own efforts. it's not a knock on us when we're sluggish in some areas of life, yet excelling in other areas. it's a reality that we're simply built for specificity: we gravitate towards certain vocations/hobbies/talents because we're wired to plug very individualized niches. it's as if the world would not be the same if we did not do the very few things that only we can do.
how does that have anything to do with this proverb? well, i've learned that most folks share their opinions because they don't know much about what their talking about. . .that's why they're called opinions. however, if we'd stick to what we know--even if it is only a few things--we'd begin to gain understanding in the areas where we lack. simply by listening to people who are excellent in the things we lack, we gain understanding. and the added benefit is that we gain friends when we lay down our opinions to listen to them...because everyone likes to know something they can share.
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