Wisdom University: Proverbs 1:1-7

Wisdom University: Proverbs 1:1-7

Big Idea
Pursue wisdom like your life depends on it.

Opening Illustration
I like to read and listen broadly, online magazines, podcasts, etc. And one of the topics that comes up in many of these news segments around the holidays is “how do you get along with relatives over Christmas?” They’ll reference political differences, “cantankerous uncles,” rude cousins, even different sports teams, etc. There’s usually some good advice tucked in there, but a lot of it is self-centered psychology and not helpful.

Whether it is getting along with difficult relationships (family or friends), a tight bank account over the holidays, big life changes in store, or mild depression at the perceived work troubles ahead in 2025, there are a lot of hard situations that can weigh on our hearts and minds.

How many of you wish in those moments that you had a personal genie or a guardian angel like Clarence in “It’s a Wonderful Life” to help you navigate life’s difficulties. With all the ads for various forms of AI assistance, not only to find out the capitol of Ecuador, but promising to help with other issues in life – it’s clear that our culture longs for a guide in life, a guru to a “better you.”

This morning, I’d like to look at a book of biblical wisdom. A book that offers a pathway to blessing and joy, even if the route it takes us on is not what we’d choose.

Turn to Proverbs 1. Page 569 in the black, pew Bibles.

My main idea this morning, the “Monday moment” that I want you to remember is this: “Pursue wisdom like you life depends on it. Pursue wisdom like your life depends on it.”

Quote the first half; have the audience finish the statement: Purse wisdom like your life depends on it. Purse wisdom like your life depends on it.

Transition Statement
Brief explanation of the role of “proverbs” (Counseling Bible, p. 795 note):
The biblical proverb is built on the foundation of the Law and prophets. The Law reveals God’s standards of righteous perfection (that no one can perfectly keep); the Prophets (including history) called the people to turn from sin (breaking the Law) and worship the true God with all their lives.
Proverbs are wise sayings that call God’s people to faithfully live for him in the details of life. Here’s how one author put it:
“There are details of character small enough to escape the mesh of the law and the [sermons] of the prophets, and yet are [crucial] to [everyday] personal dealings. Proverbs moves in this realm, asking “what [am I like] to live with or to employ? How do I manage my affairs, [my finances], my time, [my relationships]?”
The word “proverb” used in 1:1 means “likeness” or “comparison.” So the biblical proverb teaches wisdom by using a comparison or parable (short story.)
In our day, we would use something like a “role playing scenario” or a short fable to teach lessons (think Aesop’s fable like the tortoise and the hare).
One author describes the proverbs as “truth in street clothes.” It is intended to “speak the language” of everyday living; that when you read a description of a fool, for example, you shake your head and think, “Ya, I know a guy like that” or “that reminds me of a character in a book/movie.”

So what does “Wisdom University” have to offer us? How can it’s proverbs or snapshots of life guide us to wise living on the pathway of life?

WISDOM UNIVERSITY’S 4 COURSES

Let’s read 1:1-3.

As the intro to the book, vv. 1-6 show us what biblical wisdom is offered (vv.1-3) and who it is for (vv.4-6).

You’ll notice in our English translations the little infinitive “to” introducing these phrases; they reveal the purpose of the proverbs.

Think of it as the “course catalogue” you get at the beginning of a semester; or a menu at a restaurant. This is the core of “wisdom learning.”

Practical Wisdom
Correction
Insight
Decision Making

Practical Wisdom – 1:2a

First, these proverbs help us to “know wisdom.” This is the class of “practical wisdom.”

Often, when we hear the term “wisdom” we think of Greek philosophy, an intellectual pursuit of “knowledge for knowledge’s sake.” But the Hebrew concept of wisdom is actually practical skill in living life or the ability to put knowledge to use in everyday living.

This word (knokmah) is used to describe the skillful work of sailors (Ps. 107:27), weavers (Ex. 35:26), administrators/leaders (1 Kings 3:28), and craftsmen (Ex. 31:6). A sailor can memorize the name for dozens of ways to tie a knot, but if he can’t actually tie the right knot in the right way in the midst of a squall on the open seas – he’s not a good sailor!

So think of this first “class” as more of an apprenticeship, with hands-on learning, than a lecture in a classroom.

Application: How many of you wish you had more skill at navigating the difficult situations in life? Things like…
    
Conflict with in-laws at holidays
How to  give “truth-in-love” responses to your rebellious teen child
How to be “salt and light” for Christ at a difficult work environment
How to embrace your role as wife/mom when husband/dad is absent (physically or metaphorically)
How to give/serve others well when you are barely making it financially

Anyone else want help navigating these tricky realities? Anyone else need practical wisdom? If so, enroll in Wisdom University.

Summary: “If wisdom isn’t practical, it isn’t wisdom.”

Pursue wisdom like your life depends on it.

Correction – 1:2b

Intro:
Rember back to school. What was your easiest class? You know the one you could just walk into, briefly look at the textbook, and easily get a passing grade (maybe even a high grace) on the quiz or test. I loved those classes – health, PE, etc.

But if we’re honest, we probably didn’t benefit a whole lot from those classes. The classes that had their deepest impact on me (especially in college and seminary) were the ones that pushed me. They required a lot of my time, effort, and mental focus. By requiring all that reading, or all those essays, or all of that memorization, they helped me push harder than I would push on my own.

        So it is with Wisdom University. Let’s look at the second “class” that it offers.

Second, we see the class of “correction.” This is the word “instruction” in 2b. You could translate the word as “education through correction.”

        This word is used variously in the Hebrew OT:
        
Physical, Parental Discipline – i.e. to “correct a child of foolishness”
Verbal – to give a stark warning to someone in danger
Moral – train, instruct in the way one should go

God’s Word not only points out the correct way to go, but calls us out (disciplines) when go the wrong way. As one author stated it: “Proverbs will step on your toes, but, in so doing, will discipline you and keep your feet in the right path when you walk in their light.” These are the “rumble strips” on the highway to warn you that you’re about to run off the road.

This is not the most popular class in Wisdom U, but it is one of the most important.

Application: Anyone need some correction, some “hey, look out!” every once in a while. Maybe with things like…
    
The hours you spend entertaining yourself on empty fluff online (or worse!)
A complaining attitude that always looks for the negative in a situation
A tongue that’s quick to spread gossip and “fake news” but slow to praise the good or encourage the weak
Listening to foolish advice that promises quick $ or popularity or leisure
Giving in to the lures of “the social media 10” girl or guy

If you will listen, Proverbs will correct all of these foolish voices. But you have to enroll in Wisdom U and be willing to do the “hard work” of exposing your heart to God’s truth.

Summary: “Wisdom is always profitable, but not always comfortable!”

Insight – 1:2c

Intro:
Sometimes our greatest difficulty is that we’re bombarded with tons of information. In previous ages, there was a scarcity of information. The common citizen relied on the experts, the educated, the clergy, the writers to inform them. Now, you can access whatever info you want, about whatever subject you want, from whatever angle you want.

But this sea of information hasn’t actually made us wiser, has it? The third “class” in Wisdom U addresses this.

Third, we see the class of “insight.” The phrase in 1:2c is “discern the sayings of understanding.” That could sound a bit dense; what is Solomon saying?

The Hebrew literally reads “discern words of discernment.” The idea of the verb “to discern” (Hebrew bin) is to distinguish between two things: wisdom and foolishness. When used as a noun, it refers to the space between 2 objects.

Illustration: Since I was a kid I’ve always hated the taste of cilantro. Every time I tried it, it tasted like I was rubbing a bar of Ivory soap on my tongue! People would always be like, “It’s so good – lemony, citrusy, and pleasant! You should try it again.” As if it would just all the sudden change for me. Finally, I learned that I have a genetic “gift” to taste the “soapy-flavored” aldehydes (alkaline) in cilantro leaves. It’s a hyper-active olfactory gene (OR6A2 to be precise) that enables it. Once I learned that I was like, “Aha! You thought I was crazy but all along, I had a gift, and actually you guys are the crazy ones. You can’t taste what it really is: bar soap!”

Regardless of the “cilantro as soap” gene, God gave us our taste buds to distinguish what is good to eat and what is bad to eat. Not only is it frustrating when you can’t taste things that are pleasant (ask those who have lost taste due to COVID), it is also dangerous!

The idea of “discerning words of discernment” or “gaining insight” is that these proverbs help us distinguish between 2 things. They help us conclude, “it this choice good or bad? Wise or foolish? Going to help or harm? Will it lead to godliness and flourishing or worldliness and trouble?”

This insight helps us see people and situations as God sees them – and act accordingly.

Application: Anyone need some “insight” in their life? Are you often “stuck in the middle” with some difficult situations? Is your spiritual vision blurry? Maybe with things like…
    
You fail to see warning signs and make foolish choices (that you later regret)
You naively believe what you read/listen to/watch or are told by others– and are later proven wrong or foolish
You speak “what’s on your mind” only to regret it with broken relationships
You tightly guard your kids’ physical safety, but are naïve about the spiritual/moral dangers they face every day!
You’re paralyzed by all the news you ingest, unsure what to do with the emotions of fear, worry, anger, etc. that are stirred inside

If you will listen, Professor Solomon at Wisdom U will help you strengthen your ability to discern between the good and the best, the true vs. the untrue, the wise vs. the foolish. Seek after insight that helps you see people and situations as God sees them.

Summary: “Seeing Proverbs helps us see life clearly!”

So pursue wisdom like your life depends on it!

Decision Making – 1:3

Intro:
Sometimes we just have to make a call. We don’t have the time to “phone a friend,” look up the 3-4 different ways others have responded, or “sleep on it” and decided tomorrow.

But even in those “split second” decisions (e.g. offering comfort to the friend who just lost their parent; answering the tough phone call where your boss just chewed you out for a mistake at work; or offering comfort to your grown child who made a tragic life choice), our responses don’t arise in a vacuum.

Instead, we have been cultivating a type of heart over years – even decades – that responds a certain way in those situations.

The fourth and final class is Decision Making. In 1:3 it is stated as “to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity.”

With those “judgment calls,” wise people make wise, just decisions about human actions. On the flipside, foolish people make unwise, damaging decisions about human actions.

Caveat: as I said at the beginning, the purpose of proverbs is to show a pathway, the way things usually go. Obviously, even the wisest of the wise is going to make mistakes, give into pride at times, say things they regret, etc. But the pathway, the arc of their lives will be marked by making wise choices in their relationships.

The standard for these wise decisions is God’s law. That’s what the 3 final words in the verse indicate: “righteousness, justice, and equity” are categories given by God in his word, to guide us into wise, healthy living.

So proverbs are there to guide us into living that conforms with God’s moral law. Pastor Kit has been covering the 10 Commandments on Sunday nights. How much healthier and fruitful would our families and community be if we followed them? If we were being led by God’s wisdom to interact with each other in wise, just, and loving ways?!

Application: Anyone else need some help in making decisions that are in the best interest of those involved? Not showing favoritism, not all about your personal agenda. But truly for the good of those around you? How about a few examples…
    
Your last attempt to confront that friend over an area of concern in their life went horribly, so you commit to never challenge someone like that again
You want to lead your family well, but often feel like your attempts at strong leadership are not being received well; so you feel like giving up
You never know what to say to that friend that constantly “unloads” all her life problems on you; you want to say, “would you just stop complaining to me all the time?!” but aren’t sure if that’s the right response, so you stay silent
You know that your company is ripping vulnerable people off, but if you speak up, you definitely won’t get that promotion or raise in 2025
You genuinely care about people in your life – family, at church, etc. – but you feel like you never know what to say to encourage them or help them grow spiritually

To those facing these situations (my hand is up!), God offers “Decision Making” class in the book of proverbs. But you have to have 2 things: 1) know you need help and 2) be hungry enough to dig for it and live it out.

Summary: “The Heavenly Judge helps us make judgment calls in daily life.”

Pursue wisdom like your life depends on it!

Transition: We looked at the 4 classes of wisdom offered at Wisdom University – practical wisdom, correction, insight, and decision making.

Hopefully you’ve seen your need for wisdom. Without it, you’re left to your own devices, to navigate the ditches and land mines without the spiritual equipment you need. Just ask your wife or a close friend how it goes when you don’t listen to good advice – they’ll tell you!

Pursuing wisdom should be a top priority in our lives, but sadly, it often is not. Instead, we often want “quick fixes” to our problems – “just tell me what to do/say” as we look to the social media expert or the “self-help guru” online. Other times, we’re completely oblivious to the foolish choices we’re making because we can’t see the problem right under our noses until it’s too late and we pay the consequences for our foolish choices.

It's amazing the lengths that some parents will go to advance their kids in life: make sure they get the best education; pay $$$ to tutors, travel sports coaches; apply for all the scholarships; etc. Or if they’re not going the college route, you’ll sacrifice to help them buy their first car, put down $ to enroll them in the vocational training program, etc. You love your kids, so you’re willing to sacrifice for their good.

But there is one university, a real-life-application training that will give them the best path to success, the best road to a truly blessed life. That is enrollment in Wisdom University. And this school isn’t just for 18 year olds looking to start out in life, it’s for “students” of all ages.

If we saw the true benefit of “Wisdom U” we’d do whatever it takes to sign up and learn there. How do we enroll in Wisdom U and why should we attend all the classes?

Let’s read 1:4-5 together.

ENROLLMENT IN WISDOM UNIVERSITY
Eligible Students

The first thing I want us to see is that “Wisdom U” has open enrollment. No diversity quotas here; no “legacy requirements” that your dad or mom went there ahead of you. There are 3 categories of “student” that we meet on our “campus tour.”

Immature – 1:4a

First, we meet the immature. As the NASB reads, wisdom U is designed “to give prudence to the naïve.” Or “wisdom to the dumb.” Or as the NET translates it, “to impart shrewdness to the morally naïve. Often our English versions use the word “simple,” not as in “easy” but as in “dense, uninformed, naïve or gullible.”

This is like the “life skills” class that was often taught to freshmen in college; it was designed to help them with organization skills, $ management, time management, study tricks, etc. You know, the things their parents and teachers in HS should have taught them!

But this is often the first step for those wanting to grow. To admit you need help, you don’t know it all, you have been duped by “smooth talk” that turns out to be foolishness or are easily persuaded by slick sales pitches that lack substance. Wisdom U leads you to build a biblical grid for making choices; warns the simple of the “real dangers” out there; and leads you out of immaturity, to mature wise living.

Application: How can you know if you’re in this category (or others in your life)?

How easily do you believe what you hear/read? How do you make decisions?
Prov. 14:15 says that “the simple believe everything, but the prudent [wise] gives thought to his steps.”
Is your life often spinning out of control, hopping from one crisis to another? (caveat, at times there are providential factors that we cannot control; but I’m speaking of a pattern of crisis due to poor decisions or planning)
Prov. 14:18 says. “the simple inherit folly, but the prudent [wise] are crowned with knowledge.”
The picture is that you keep reaping folly or disaster because you’re not thinking well about your choices.
Are you often left feeling foolish for your words/actions? If so, it could be because you’re listening to “Lady Folly” standing on the street corner vs. Lady Wisdom.
Prov. 9 shows us that foolishness and wisdom are calling out, “whoever is simple, let him turn in here” (9:4, 16). The problem for the simple fool is that he has tuned his ears to only hear Lady Folly; so he follows her every time.
    
If you are immature in your life choices, seek after wisdom. Enroll in Wisdom U. Listen to Lady Wisdom as she lectures you and tutors you in life.


Young – 1:4b

The second group we meet on our campus tour is the “young.” They are close to the “simple” in that they have severe lack of wisdom. But it is often because they lack the right information or life experience.

To this group, Lady Wisdom gives “knowledge and discretion.” The idea of “discretion” is “long-term planning.” So you could translate it “a discerning plan to the youth.”

And isn’t that what youth are often most lacking in, the ability to think about the future?!

But if they will follow the principles laid out here in Proverbs (and elsewhere in Scripture), Solomon says that even a young person can create a “life plan” of delayed gratification that will spare them much trouble and heartache!

Application: Parents, grandparents, leaders/teachers of youth/kids – I can’t think of a greater thing that our kids need in 2025 than a good dose of wisdom that only God can give!

For the simple or naïve fool, he’s responsible to wake up and change course. But over and over again in Scripture, parents and elders are called to instruct, to teach, the persuade our youth to know God, love his ways, and pursue wisdom at all costs.
So how are you going to call young people to wisdom? Are you willing to act like Lady Wisdom and stand on the “street corner” of your kid’s heart and shout, “Go this way! Don’t listen to the junk the world’s feeding you; it will destroy you. Trust God’s wisdom and God’s way!”?
And do you know where it ought to start, with us on our knees praying for God to do spiritual work in our young people’s hearts!
Kids, teens, young adults listen up: the greatest pursuit in life, the most valuable thing you can possess is to gain wisdom. Wisdom is far more valuable than $, likes on social media, popularity, physical pleasure – or whatever your heart desires.

So go after it, chase it down, look it up, dig it out – get wisdom like your life depends on it!

Wise – 1:5

Read v. 5 again.

Finally, we meet another group on campus, those who are “wise.” These are the most “mature” kids on campus, the ones who have “their heads on their shoulders” who know where they’re headed in life.

Verse 5 says that they “will hear and increase in learning…they will acquire wise council.”

Here’s the thing: the more wisdom you acquire, they more you realize you need. You never actually “graduate” from Wisdom University, you just keep advancing in the course work.

The wise realize they will never “arrive” and so they are teachable. They go to the “extra lectures” to learn all they can. They go to “study groups” and turn their assignments in on time.

Application:
Maybe you’ve been listening and have thought, “you know I don’t think I’m foolish or simple; I try to honor God and follow his ways. I’m not sure this school applies to me?”

If you are well on your way down the path of God’s wisdom, keep going! Don’t get discouraged, especially at times when you look around and it seems like you’re the only one in the lecture hall!

Don’t apologize or feel foolish for admitting your mistakes, for always wanting to grow. Don’t be embarrassed at being the one who steers the “post church” conversation away from football or fashion and towards what God is teaching you.
Be okay with being the one to bring up burdens in your life; or asking someone if there’s something you can pray for them about; or going to a mentor and asking for advice in life.

Relish the role of being a life-long learner in Wisdom U! Buy the university merch; wear the school letterman’s jacket with pride. Rep the home team of God’s wisdom.

Because you know who the greatest recruit to God’s family at Wisdom U is? The student who can’t get enough and wants to bring others with him!

Outcome for Students – 1:6

Let’s read v. 6 together.

Apply wisdom to all of life’s challenges

The outcome of being a student at Wisdom U is that you’ll be able to put the wisdom found in these sayings to use in life. Their like “life hacks” that actually work!

Solomon is urging his son to give himself to these proverbs because he knows that he’ll need them as he rules over Israel, with all the judgment calls and leadership that will be required of him.

And so do we! Sometimes life just isn’t simple; it doesn’t come with an instruction manual that you can just follow step by step to fix your situation.

You’re going to need to solve life’s riddles, unscramble the situation. You need skill in action, not just theory or speculation.

Application: some of you have a lot of head knowledge about the Bible, but not a lot of skill applying it in your life. You can quote the books of the Bible, use long theological terms, and answer Bible trivia questions.

But if someone were to look at your life, they wouldn’t see a lot of wisdom in how you use it.

Wisdom requires applying your knowledge to life.

Caveat: you need to stick it out; limited help for those who quit early; no “instant wisdom” (e.g. can’t become a good writer by exporting your essay from ChatGPT!)

I think a big reason why we can struggle to apply the truth we know with skills, is because we get impatient. We want the “quick fix” to our problems. When the “class” is getting hard, we drop out. When the marriage is rocky, we bring up the D word; when things aren’t working out like we want, we reach for the bottle or the pill container.

There is not “instant wisdom” in life. Just like you can’t be a good writer if all you do is export your essays from ChatGPT or other AI tools. So you will never gain wisdom, if you don’t put it in the hard work.
In the case of life, the “hard work” comes from applying the little bit of truth you know to the little bit of life you’re experiencing. As my counselor friends likes to state it, counseling is just taking “a little bit of truth to a little bit of life.”

Wisdom U Formula: right proverb + right time + right way = best result

Again, this doesn’t mean that it always works out like you want it to. But applying God’s wisdom, by faith and trust in him, is the pathway to true success: a life that honors God and loves others.

One Entrance Requirement – 1:7

Intro
You might be thinking, “This sounds like a great university. Why wouldn’t everyone want to attend? How do I get in?”

Wisdom U only has one entrance requirement – for the simple, young, or the mature. That is found in 1:7.

Let’s read 1:7 together.

Fear (Worship God) – 1:7; 31:30

Every class begins and ends (and is filled in the middle) with the fear of the LORD. We see it here in the opening of the book; hold your spot here and flip to the end of the book, 31:30 (pg. 596 in the pew Bible).

Speaking of the wise woman: “charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Solomon concludes his fascinating book on life called Ecclesiastes with it. After concluding that life is full of one enigma after another, one puzzle after another, he concludes that our response ought to be “fear God and keep his commandments” (13).

The word “LORD” in v. 7 is God’s covenant name, which shows that it is a covenant, personal relationship.

Relationship comes before rules. This pursuit of wisdom isn’t pursuit of some abstract principles out there or “morning mantras” you can say to give you a good day.

Fear born out of awe

While some fear God because of his power to judge and his fierce wrath, God’s children enrolled in “Wisdom U” are in awe of God because of his power to save.

The pathway of wisdom leads to God! It leads to worshipping him, praising him, and fearing him out of reverence and awe.

The wisest person is the person who knows, loves, and worships God and seeks to honor him with their lives. Worship and wisdom: the two go together in perfect unity.

Jesus said in Matt. 12:42 that the Queen of the South (Sheba) came to learn of the wisdom of Solomon; he praises her pursuit of wisdom. But he went on to say that “I am greater than Solomon” and condemned those who saw and heard him but refused to bow the knee in worship.

Paul writes in Col. 2:3 that in Jesus are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

If you want wisdom, it comes from Jesus. He is the source; the gatekeeper; the “registrar” that signs you up for “school.”

A right relationship with God comes before a right relationships with other people, with finances, with good effort at your job, etc.

The vertical precedes the horizontal. In many ways, this is the first proverb of the book. And if you get this one right, you’re on the pathway to gaining more wisdom on the way. If you don’t get this right and live life trying to scrap together your own “plan for success” or “pathway to happiness” you’re going to be disappointed in the end.

And the greatest display of God’s power is in the crosswork of Jesus. Here’s how the 18th century theological John Brown put it: “Nothing is so well fitted to put the fear of God …into the heart, as an enlightened view of the cross of Christ.”

If the fear of the LORD is the start, the entrance into wisdom, then it is arrogant and stupid to refuse to fear God. That’s what the 2nd half of v. 7 states: “fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Prov. 1:20 ff warns of those who reject God’s wisdom, who mock the call of Lady Wisdom and instead go their own way.

If fools will turn to her, she offers to “pour out her spirit of wisdom on them” (23). But those who reject her and laugh in her face (in the face of God’s wisdom), she says “I will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes…they will call on me, but I will not answer…because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD” (2:26-29)

For those who reject God’s path and dig their heels deep in pride and stubbornness and rebellion she says, “they shall eat of the fruit of their own way…for the waywardness of the naïve will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them.” (2:31-33).

Seek after Christ; and find wisdom!

When it comes to wisdom, a relationship (with God) comes before the rules!

2 Responses
Enroll in God’s Wisdom University
Admissions officer (Jesus) paid the tuition in full with the price of his own life on the cross. The scholarship is 100%; nothing you can add to the bill. He died to absorb your penalty that you deserve for your sin.
But he arose in victory, conquering sin and death so that you could have forgiveness and life and could pursue a life of wisdom.
Come up and talk to me; talk to a friend you trust; give your life to Christ today!

Stick to the Plan
God’s “classes” aren’t always easy; they often step on our toes, point out our pride and foolishness, and leaving us feeling vulnerable and helpless. But the growth we experience when we trust in his wisdom and ask for his help is completely worth it!
For this new year, press into the wisdom God wants to teach you. Don’t “drop the class” you’re in; do the work; get some extra tutoring; read the extra books.
Maybe your next best step is to do a deep dive into Proverbs. I have some great tools I can recommend. Ask someone to join you, reading together and discussing what you’re learning. Read it, listen to it, talk about it. Grow together.
Find someone younger and with less life experience that you can help along wisdom’s pathway. Older men and older women: you’re actually commanded to pass on truth to the younger generation. Parents (and grandparents): you know that you are to raise your kids to know and love God.
But whatever you do: turn aside from Lady Folly and choose the voice of Lady Wisdom.

And pursue wisdom life your life depends on it…because it does!