Wisdom versus Knowledge

Author: WiseGuy

  • Modern vs. Traditional Art

    I’m watching a TV show looking at local antique shops. In one of them, the shop owner, “artist”, describes a wall he built along his property line. The wall is made up of old doors, windows, bicycle parts, wooden tables, and other junk. As he described what the wall “meant”, I realized that his approach…

  • There’s always a silver lining

    We’ve been glued to the TV, watching as Hurricane Ian devastated our old Southwest Florida neighborhoods (SWFL). The storm winds of 140+ mph destroyed roads and the Sanibel Causeway. There was so much water. You could see cars with water up to the roof. The rebuilding efforts will be measured in 10’s of billions of…

  • 5 Ways to “win” an argument

    Read a tweet this morning… Exactly! 5 ways to win every internet argument – what THEY don’t want you to know! 1. continually move the goalposts 2. make stuff up 3. never admit fault 4. ad hominem 5. strawman

  • Virtual Insanity

    In 1996, while on a business trip to London, one of the songs at the top of the charts was Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai. I bought the long play single (vinyl) and listened to it at least a hundred times. It’s a great song that holds up even 25 years later. The video is mesmerizing,…

  • Topic: Leadership

    Ref: Rabbi Sacks “Lessons in Leadership”, in the introduction. This is very suitable for a woman to present. It’s about Miriam and her quiet role. She exhibited leadership, without the spotlight. The Torah presents many instances of Moshe losing his cool; insecurity… Miriam leads the people in praise, in joy Be’er Miriam Period of mourning…

  • Speech topic: What does g-d want?

    Ref: shacharit (p 16) Aylu d’varim…, from Shabbat 127a There is no prescribed amount Why not? What character trait is G-d trying to teach us, build in us? Look up the Talmud ref Shab 127a. Is the text there the same as in the siddur? If not, why not? Check Peah 1:1

  • Said. Me. Now.

    Before you open your mouth, ask yourself three questions: Does it have to be SAID? Does it have to be said by ME? Does it have to be said by me, NOW?

  • Can love be transactional?

    If it is, is it truly love? Is it necessary? Are transactions the foundation? Story: Rabbi Vogel’s speech at son’s ufruff. He repeated his father’s speech (or was it Rabbi Shochet his father-in-law?) about giving your spouse a “blank check” I quoted Dennis. To make sure the check doesn’t bounce, you need to make deposits…

  • If you’re so smart, how come you aren’t rich?

    As a child, this was a typical ad hominem response someone would say when they didn’t have a meaningful reply. It was never intended to be anything other than a face-saving mechanism to stop the argument/debate. I recently read an article that made me think about the underlying fallacy of the statement. The assumption is…

  • Never Explain

    “Never explain — your friends do not need it, and your enemies will not believe you anyway.” Elbert Hubbard