Have you ever noticed that a great deal of wisdom is available in the greeting card aisle at the local store? Sure, many greeting cards contain ridiculous messages, but many contain insightful pearls of wisdom.
I came across one such card recently. It was a birthday card. On the cover was a photo of a gorilla, with the index finger of one hand wrapped around his chin directly under his mouth. He had a pensive, yet knowing look on his face. The message inside the card read:
Welcome to the age when you don't have to do or say anything and it passes for "wisdom." Happy Birthday.
I'm not exactly sure what that "age" might be, but I like the message -- and I think I've reached the "age."
I used to think that the sharing of wisdom required words. I used to think that explaining to others what I had learned in the past 38 years about teaching, classroom management, youth ministry, fund raising, emergency preparedness, social cruelty, or any other number of school-related topics was a way of sharing wisdom with my younger, less experienced colleagues. Over time, however, I've learned that it's not that way. It has become painfully clear to me that most of my younger colleagues know more about everything than I do -- and the last thing they need (or want) is my input.
So when I read the words of the Hallmark birthday card, I realized that I had definitely reached the age -- the age when it might be best to simply keep my mouth shut. Yes, it seems that I've reached the point in my life when it would be best for all involved if I just sat in the back of the room at our weekly faculty meetings and let my younger colleagues solve all the school issues on their own. Maybe if I simply do nothing and say nothing, it will be perceived as "wisdom."
"Silence is the strength of our interior life.... If we fill our lives with silence, then we will live in hope." - Thomas Merton