THE WISDOM OF GRAY HAIR

THE WISDOM OF GRAY HAIR

Stella Bassey Esirah

An excited young acquaintance once ran up to an old Doctor and said to him, “do you know what I just heard about one of your students?” Wait a moment, the old man replied. Before you tell me, I will like you to pass a little test. It is called the FILTER TEST. Before you talk to me about my student let’s take a moment to filter what you’re going to say. The number one filter is TRUTH. Are you absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true? No, actually, I just heard about it, replied the young man. Alright, so you don’t know if it is really true or not. Now let’s try the number two filter which is GOODNESS. What you are about to tell me about my student, is it something good? No, on the contrary said the young man. So, said the old man you want to tell me something bad about him, even when you are not certain about it? The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Perhaps, you may pass the test if you succeed in the remaining one. The third filter is USEFULNESS. What you want to tell me about my student, is it going to be useful to me? No, not really, said the young man. Well then, the old Doctor concluded. If what you want to tell me is neither TRUE nor GOOD nor even USEFULL, why tell me?

Often, some people, even personalities the society deem to be highly responsible and respect so much ridicule themselves by carrying tales that can never be of use to the tale carrier, the listener or to the victim. Some people waste significant time in insignificant things by tale bearing.  This is more embarrassing in a matured society and community of intellectuals. When people who should be seen in the robe of integrity reduce themselves to tale bearing, they make themselves cheap in the public arena. A Christian's life is like a pot that has been set aside for God's use. But like all pots, the life of a Christian must be cleansed purified continually; otherwise it would become useless because of the trash that one allows into the contents of a noble life. This calls for a sincere seeking for an interior model that can reflect in the exterior in the process of seeking a real change. External appearance ought to show the honorable content of the human heart. Therefore, we need a constant inner change, transformation and renewal to give joy to the world. We need to be a part of change for others since nobody should seek his/her own good alone. Seeking the good of others is also a noble virtue.

There are three basic steps in the process of change: To observe, to read wide, and to pray. Observing means keeping our eyes, ears, and mind open to what is around us. It means getting the facts, being honest, and as much as possible, defining the problems. The second step is Reading.  This does not mean that we should read only when we are desperate, or that we should read only the parts that are favorable or familiar. This should also go beyond reading to pass a formal test or an examination. It means that we must read to know and keep busy to widen our horizon. We need to read and apply the good contents to every life situations with the eyes, ears and mind. We need to do this with a sense of openness to God's truth and reality. Lastly there is prayer: praying on all occasions praying about life with heart open to what God is saying.

There are bridges between these three steps: learning to read the truth and reflecting on truth as we talk to God.  These can give rise to actions that can be called, "Doing the Truth." While Christian ethics is based on the revealed truth of God (deontological), there are also legitimate goals or consequences for good Christian Ethics that should lead to the change that we seek in ourselves and others. We can think of these as God's objectives, and the results of the work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 16-26).

                       

A definition of Christian Ethics might contain three general themes. The first is the will, the character of God, and the truth of the Gospel when applied to all life situations. There are views that affirm that there is no such thing as absolute truth. But this view is not biblical, though it is true that we do not know all truth but we have realities (truths) like rights and wrongs which we must use to "sift" the decisions of life. A fundamental truth here is that God is the creator, therefore we must treat this world and its content as his creation, and we must be responsible to him as creatures. Everything belongs to him. Therefore, how I treat nature is part of my relationship to God, not my relationship to the spirits.

A second theme would center on the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit, the one through whom we work out our faith. Christians do not live their faith by themselves. We have a comforter, one who strengthens. God himself seek to fulfill His Word in us; and the mind of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit dwells in us. If it can be said with due respect to the traditional religions that people become like the gods they worship, how much more true it is for the Christian, for it is God who work in us to will and to act according to his good purpose. Thirdly, the uniqueness of Christian Ethics is centered, or based on Jesus Christ, and his relationship to man. Fundamental to all our behavior is this mutual relationship. Thus, how I relate to God will affect, or even determine, how I relate to other men and women.

Learning to recognize these things will help us more clearly in understanding the relationship between belief and ethics,  the unique dimensions of Christian behavior, and how to speak to others of what Christ has to offer them. The result of this is that, goodness leads to salvation; it is that inner clarity of the will to do what is right that represents "godliness" and thus brings salvation here in this life. Do some of these sound familiar? Then we should meditate on this adage: “If you cannot write a book for people to read, then do something for people to write about”. Jesus reveals God who is the truth. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to the world while the Church through the truth in humanity reveals the actions of the Holy Spirit. We need to grow up and be matured to be authentic witnesses. So quite gossip!

Sr. Dr. Stella Bassey Esirah HHCJ is a lecturer and Head of Department of Philosophy at St. Joseph Catholic Major Seminary, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State (esirah@hotmail.com).