The Proverb That I Like Best

The Proverb That I Like Best

Today what I want to share with you is this one：“A spoon does not know the taste of soup，nor a learned fool the taste of wisdom.”

At first，I find it quite a strange metaphor that relates spoon to a learned fool.But later I realize that they are the same essentially，because they are all containers.

What is the definition of“container”？ A container is an instrument used for storing and delivering things.It can not have its own feeling towards what they are storing，just like the spoon.Generally，this word is used to describe the matter of no life.But for “learned fool”，its application is also useful.A “learned fool” refers to the people whose brains are merely the store room.They never generate their own understanding for the knowledge they have learnt，and can not absorb it into their mind.What they are doing is just trying to “plug” the knowledge into their “store room” but never build an organic correlated system of knowledge.

However，wisdom is the result of “reproduction”.It generates mainly from three parts：thinking，absorption and reflection.

If our brain is a river，then the knowledge are drops.Only by our own thinking can the drops form together and flow.If our brain is a car，then the knowledge are wheels.Only by our absorption can the wheels be driven and rolled.If our brain is a torch，then the knowledge is wood.Only by reflection can the wood be lit and burnt.

Without own thinking，Plato could not organize the characteristics of real substance and then raise the concept of “ideal world”；without absorption，Darwin could not find the inner relationship among various species and then conclude the theory of evolution；without reflection，Newton could not figure out the limitation of previous concepts and then update the law of motion.

All in all，soup has no flavor for people when putting on the spoon，nor knowledge can be alive when been solely stored in the brain.We should not be just a container for knowledge.Wisdom is the result of fully absorption and flexible utilization.

Honestly speakingly，no matte when we get the life to be full and meaningful，we had better think of the proverb which is like a tower aiming at the directions to victory.Not only does it relieve our pressure but also make our life filled with sunshine sweeping away the darkness on the mind.

（作者單位：河南省内黄县第一高级中学）