Practical wisdom versus lies what is their difference?

Do you know that most times when you say things that are not real and in you, you may think that you have lied but in the real sense of it, you haven't even told any lies at all?

What then have you done if the statement above justifies your actions as not being a liar? Simply say, you have made use of your practical wisdom in getting what you want, wished for or aimed at getting.

Yet, another person may wonder and question the moral justification behind such claim of a practical wisdom not being said of as a lie.

Understandably, you are right if you feel that way as regards your questioning the rationale behind not seeing what appears like a lie as a lie but rather, as practical wisdom which indeed forms the basis of this our discussion now.

To get a clearer picture of my argument, i will start by defining the two concepts (lie and practical wisdom) that are very much in a bone of contestion here, so i start with:

What is practical wisdom?

This is a state of knowing what is good, right, or best for you to do in a particular set of circumstances or situations where you are involved with at that time.

Thes root of this idea according to the https://kstatelibraries.pressbooks.pub>..., can be traced back more than 2,400 to a great ancient Greek Philosopher - Aristotle where he tried to distinguish the different kinds of knowlege and the different ways of knowing it.

What is a lie?

This is a state of speaking falsely or utter truthful words knowingly as with an intent to deceive or misdirect and misguide.

Perhaps, our discussion here is not going to be based on knowing the different kinds of knowlege and how to know them according to Aristotle but rather on how to know what practical wisdom means and why it is different from lies telling.

Now going back to the definition of practical wisdom and lies as i've said it earlier, i want us to look into this examples and then compare to know what each one of them constitutes or stands for and where you can place yourselves with respect to the examples given below.

Example of practical wisdom

Imagine you were asked by someone for a help on how to buy a piece of land that is worth about a $100,000( which is about 50million naira in Nigeria) with a 10% agent commission price money that would fetch you something huge in amount and it is quite obvious you never had any idea of what selling of a land implies as much as you don't want to miss out on the said huge 10% agent amount which would make your life a little more meaniful and then, you decide to tell the prospective land buyer profoundly that YES, you deal on land of which you were able to back up your statement by making the right and required contacts on how to get the piece of land so that you could at least earn your own share of the money being the 10% commission on the agent's fee, have you lied?

BE THE JUDGE YOURSELF HERE

Now, let's also take this other scenario or example and this time, it happened in the bible times when Joshua who was the leader of the twelve-tribe kingdom of Israel showed mercy to the sons of mohab when they came to him in Joshua 9:11-13 saying; " so our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, " take some provisions in your hand for the journey and go and meet them and say to them, "We are your servants, come now and make a covenant with us". And verse 12 says; "Here is our bread, it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold! They have dried and these garments and sandals of ours have all dried up and worn out from the long journey".

Moreover, the account further showed that based on that account and report from the Gibeonites, Joshua showed mercy to them and never had them destroyed even though what they had told him ( Joshua) in the first place was not true of which though, he (Joshua) later found out that it wasn't true but he did not destroy them for he has already concluded a covenant with them never to do so.

Now be the judge yourself

Now, what would you call their actions to stay safe and not be destroyed by Joshua and his God backed armies at that time? Would you call their actions that of making use of their practical wisdom to stay away from destruction and stay alive or would you call it an act of telling a lie? Just be the judge here.

Now let us take a good example of lies telling.

In the garden of Eden

Satan who was called the Devil had told our first mother Eve to eat from the tree of the knowlege of good and bad that was found in the middle when it was obvious the grand creator himself - God has said to them, "Of all the trees you can find in this garden, you may eat to stay alive and be happy but as for the tree of the knowlege of bad and evil which is of course in the middle, you should not eat from it for the day you do eat from it, you will positively die".

Now, God's position was quite clear here which means; "do not eat from it and when you do, you will positively die", while the lie from Satan was also clear here; "eat from it and you will not positively die".

The later account according to Genesis chapter 2:17, showed that they ate from it given Satan's lies and eventually, sin entered into the world and through sin, death - Romans 5:12.

Now, was the actions by the devil that of a practical wisdom or that of a lie?

BE THE JUDGE YOURSELF HERE.

Let us take this example of two men fighting eachother over a little problem and at the end of the day, one of the men struck the other with an object but because he has the back up of some wealthy men, after a court sitting was arraigned, the murderer was eventually set free and acquinted of all the murder charges that were levelled against him given his strong connections with wealthy men and those in the government after proving he never committed such a dastard and a hilarious act of murder by the judge over what he (the judge) said was beyond all reasonable doubts and had him set free even when several eye witness accounts have shown that the already slained man was murdered by the one being acquinted and freed by the court due his super connections to riches and power.

Note: such connections to riches and power that may lead to all sorts of judicial denial on a broad day light might not apply to other advanced countries of the world of Europe and North America where the judicial system is perfectly placed to act within the full detects and confinements of the law.

What do you call that, practical wisdom or lies? Just be the

JUDGE YOURSELF HERE.

Hope you have learnt something new today and if you did, then see you at the comment section so we can discuss them and see those things you found out today and how you may respond when such situations catches up with you.

Image credit: pixaby.

Merry xmas and a happy new year in advance. Love you all❤.

Pls remember to stay free from the dreaded covid19 pandemic by wearing your nose mask, hand gloves and keeping some 6ft distance apart ok.

#save a life, #take responsibilty.