The more you know

 

Proverbs 1: 20-33
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
September 15, 2024

Photo of a metal bookcase on wheels used to truck library books. On one side is stenciled in white paint: "Think before you speak. READ before you think."

Did you know that NBC/Universal’s public service announcement campaign entitled “The More You Know” started 35 years ago on September 9, 1989, and continues to be broadcast today? Most of these brief episodes feature NBC celebrities and newscasters but also national figures such as George H. W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Michelle Obama. The messages cover a wide range of topics like preventing violence, developing empathy, environmental stewardship, diversity, health, education, and civic involvement. In a way, it’s a public wisdom service.



Given the most recent news cycle, I have a few suggestions for future segments. 

 “The persistent lie of connecting immigrants with eating animals, its long history in the U.S., and why it’s a racist trope”. 

 “Why it’s crucial to discern fact from fiction before sharing on social media”. 

 “How misinformation and disinformation can harm already vulnerable communities”. 

 And perhaps most importantly “How to interrupt racist jokes, memes, and tropes so people will listen”. 

 As well as “Join us for a series on civil discourse across differences”. 

 But it’s doubtful any of these could be covered in a 30 second TV spot.



How do we know what we know? Lately it seems we human beings are more interested in spouting what we know (or what we think we know) and justifying its existence rather than how and why we know what we know. Wisdom would say that we need to test our knowledge time and again, we need to ask questions, listen to the answers with an open mind, and examine our own implicit and confirmation biases. Or as it has been said in the Star Trek universe, we trust Data not Lore.

Photo of a sign with the Star Trek: Next Generation characters Data and Lore, with the caption, "Trust Data, Not Lore"

As many things do these days, it all started with what was thought to be a really not-quite-so-innocent post on social media. A neighbor’s cat went missing, the neighbor thinking the cat had been attacked by their Haitian neighbors, from a third-party report. From there it spiraled out of control, people seeing what they wanted to see, confirming their worst fears, based on a racist immigrant trope that was used against Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s, that was used against Jews in medieval Europe.



“How long?”, we hear Wisdom cry from the streets, “How long will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?” Racist tropes like these continue to have life because there are those with an agenda for power and greed who find them not only useful but highly effective. But it’s not only that. Even we who find such obvious racism disgusting and demeaning will still share funny memes about dogs and cats fearing for their lives as a way of making fun of those who believe this hateful propaganda. Yet the algorithm doesn’t know the difference between our intentions.



The Book of Proverbs even warns us against this by contradicting itself. In chapter 26 we find these two verses: “Do not answer fools according to their folly, lest you be a fool yourself. Answer fools according to their folly, lest they be wise in their own eyes.”



Because we’re not just answering fools or not, we’re trying to stop the spread of misinformation and disinformation.



We’re not only fighting against racism and all the isms out there, but we also need to admit we’re fighting them in here, in our own hearts and minds.



We’re not only trying to save democracy, but also vulnerable communities like Springfield, Ohio that suffer from threats of violence.



Because those who incite violence and those who carry it out do not care about the difference between a Haitian immigrant and a Mexican immigrant or who is assumed to be an immigrant.



Because one of the first things a fascist regime does is create a pariah class.



Sometimes the wisdom in the Bible sounds like a bullhorn, a warning, a reproof, because that’s what wisdom does—it tries to save us from trouble, steer us from the wrong path, show us the error of our ways before we can’t find our way back. Wisdom recognizes our interdependence, our fundamental connections to each other. Even though the wise are promised a better outcome than the foolish, wisdom knows that the outcome of the foolish harms everyone.



Eugene Peterson, in his introduction to the book of Proverbs, says that “Wisdom is the biblical term for this on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven everyday living.” It’s not about knowledge or information but about how we live day to day—everything that makes for a good life, not just for an individual but for everyone.



Wisdom tells us that to love our neighbor as ourselves is good for everyone.



Wisdom tells us that to love the stranger and the foreigner is good for everyone.



Wisdom tells us that to care for the most vulnerable among us is good for everyone.



Wisdom tells us that the generous will also be blessed when they share their food with the poor.



Wisdom tells us that those who oppress the poor to increase their wealth but also those who give gifts to the rich—both will come to poverty.



Conventional wisdom tells us that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It seems to me our pattern is that before humanity can move forward, we first take a step backward. We have all we need to know to save democracy, to make this world safe for everyone. What is left is what is in our hearts, and though we cannot change anyone else’s, we can choose to remain steadfast to the wisdom that is still being tested and borne out over time.


Goodness is stronger than evil.
Love is stronger than hate.
Light is stronger than darkness.
Truth is stronger than lies.



May we listen to the wisdom of those who suffer because they are different. May everyone know that no matter who they are, in this church everyone is safe. May we be transformed; made wise by the way we live our lives and in our life together. Amen.

Benediction – enfleshed.com


Wisdom does not hide.
She makes herself known,
shouting from the rooftops
of our interdependence.
Let us go forth heeding her call,
co-creating a world of compassion.