What follows is a document that I hope to publish as a short booklet. The purpose is to suggest making the institution of a “Scholar-in-Residence” a regular part of church parish life. Although this document is targeted at an ecclesiastical audience, there is no reason why this could not also be done as part of a secular organization, or even a collective of interested persons who value the life of the mind.

I request that you comment on this and tell me whether this looks feasible, how one might go about doing it, and any other thoughts. I am particularly interested in the practicality of doing this. I already know that the idea is pretty damned cool. – SG

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Giving Back the Sun: The Scholar-in-Residence in Parish Life

By Sheldon Greaves, Ph.D.
Scholar-in-Residence, Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, Corvallis, Oregon

Introduction: The Vocation of the Intellectual

A great strength of the Church is the recognition that callings do not follow hierarchical channels. They can also ignore categories. Not everything the Church needs fits neatly under a convenient label. This is a good thing; it grants the flexibility to allow the Spirit to “blow where it will” and remain open to what might come of it.

One of the great needs of believers of all faiths is to nurture the intellect. “Thou shalt worship the Lord your God… with all your mind,” Matthew enjoins us. Difficult questions arise in times that are not only more complicated, but more saturated with information wrapped in a whirlwind of noise. The times demand not only thoughtful answers to difficult questions, but workers who will take up the task of analyzing and addressing problems that threaten to overwhelm us all. In 1920, A. G. Sertillange, OP, wrote the following in his book, The Intellectual Life:

Here I am… living in a time of human drama, witnessing upheavals such as perhaps the globe never before saw since the mountains rose and the seas were driven into their caverns. What have I to do for this panting, palpitating century? More than ever before thought is waiting for men [and women], and men [and women] for thought. The world is in danger for lack of life-giving maxims. We are in a train rushing ahead at top speed, no signals visible. The planet is going it knows not where, its law has failed it: who will give it back its sun?¹

These words are as true today as they were then. Although Fr. Sertillange was writing for young men intent on entering the Priesthood to pursue careers as theological scholars, it is also a call to action for both ordained and lay scholars. The calling of intellectual is seldom seen in mainstream churches today, which is unfortunate. Already many churches are hives of educational activity, but many, many neglected opportunities exist for positive change and renewal. Catholic scholar Fr. Marvin Sweeney, OP comments in his own response to Sertillange’s longing for a restored sun:

What, then, do we perceive when we consider our present age? What light must be shed upon our contemporary society? – for this is the work that Our Lord has entrusted to us. No one person can answer such a question fully; the redemptive mission of Christ belongs to the whole People of God. I wish, instead, to begin a conversation, and in that spirit to offer some remarks that, however partial, may be of use as you engage this challenge.²

This booklet is a guide to supporting individuals within a congregation who feel called to place their minds in the service of the parish.

Christianity has a unique intellectual history. Almost from the outset, Christian thinkers and clergy made the assumption that God and his ways were at least partly intelligible to humans. They believed that as the human intellect grew in strength, the mind of God would become clearer to them and, that this was an important part of what it meant to be Christian. The early Church Fathers labored vigorously to reformulate and reconcile Christian doctrine with the Greek philosophies that were the intellectual gold standard of their day.

The Jewish tradition of intellectual spirituality that grew out of the establishment of Torah study as the defining form of personal worship—the first religion to mandate the study of a sacred text as a formal religious act. This also fed into the later Christian tradition. Both religions retain their dedication to a life of the mind as part of healthy belief, tensions between faith and reason notwithstanding.

Yet another call to the intellectual is St. Augustine’s doctrine of the Two Books, the Book of Scripture and the “Book of Nature.” Augustine taught that as the author of both Scripture and Nature, God intended humanity to become fluent in both. He even made the rather extraordinary claim that sometimes the Book of Nature was easier to understand than Scripture, and could offer powerful insights to help correctly interpret holy writ. These “books” were complimentary, and demand our attention. The teachings of Jesus were always firmly grounded in the gritty realities of everyday life, and the grandeur of the natural world.

What is a Scholar-in-Residence?

In 2009 I was laid off and cast adrift into the most unforgiving job market in recent memory. As a way to keep myself sane, I offered to conduct a series of short seminars on Biblical topics at Christ Episcopal Church in Portola Valley, California where my spouse and I attended. Because I have a degree in ancient Near Eastern Studies with an emphasis in Hebrew Bible, this was an easy sell. My spouse, also a Ph.D. in Classics, soon got involved and until 2014 we taught seminars as a team on a variety of topics. Besides the obvious biblical subjects, we also taught seminars on “guerrilla economics” sharing what we learned during our sojourn in the economic wilderness.

There remained, however, the job hunt, which extended into months, then years. Fortunately, when we began offering the seminars, I asked our Rector, Fr. Mitch Lindemann, if the Parish would be willing to grant us the title of “Scholar-in-Residence.” This not only added some gravitas to our activities, it gave me something to put on my resume as a current “position” so it would not appear to potential employers that I was completely inert. In fact, the seminars eventually led to a job as an adjunct professor at Stanford University.

Gradually, our seminars became better organized. We learned how best to conduct them and guide people through our topics. What happened as we began to probe more deeply into the biblical texts became an enthralling experience. A community of learners formed around the seminars, most of them from outside the parish. Since we focused mainly on the Old Testament, we also had several local priests who wanted to make up for a lack Old Testament training in Seminary. What we discovered in the Scriptures began to find its way into other aspects of parish life. Insights gleaned from our studies informed decision making in the Vestry and occasional turned up in Sunday sermons.

The role of the intellectual worker includes strengthening the larger community. Fr. Sweeney puts it this way:

I wish to propose that the challenge of our culture –its tendency to fragmentation and to relativism, its refusal of its own heritage – is rooted in an incapacity to assert the fundamental unity of life-in-the-world human experience, and that the work of restoring unity must become the pre-eminent concern of a follower of Christ.³

Ideas unify a community. “Culture” is the name we give to a body of works that are describe those ideas. They give us a common language, a touchstone of values, by which we make our way through the world. The truly great works of culture will yield ever richer insights and nudge us in new, fruitful directions if we are willing to put our minds to it. The lay intellectual should also be what used to be called a “Public Intellectual”, that class of thinker who routinely crossed disciplinary borders, serving as interpreters between academia and the public, often hammering out their own unique contributions along the way.

We live in a world filled with information, but also much misinformation, disinformation, and efforts to overwhelm our senses by sheer volume of noise. It is a challenge for the church leaders to navigate these treacherous waters in their efforts to benefit their parishioners and the larger community. In all of these ways; public intellectual, information guardian, and other functions, the lay intellectual can become a valuable asset. Further, they can energize the parish and community dialogue by raising awareness. They can augment the reputation of their parish. Best of all, they get to enjoy the fun of interacting with others who share common interests and passions.

What Do They Do?

The calling to a life of the mind can involve teaching or research, sharing what one knows. It may also be a call to learn, to acquire what one does not yet know. It is collective; leading a group effort to unravel some difficult issue or develop a written document. Most parishes already have volunteers for things like compiling a parish history, organizing the parish library, writing for the newsletter, leading field trips, or teaching classes. A Scholar-in-Residence can certainly do that, but we prefer a larger vision. This is about more than just the parish. A Scholar-in-Residence operating from a parish has a freedom unknown or even unsuspected by their academic counterparts. Unimpeded by arbitrary strictures of university culture, one can offer critiques and present ideas that for purely cultural or political reasons might not get a fair hearing otherwise. Consider, for instance, how the Papal Encyclical Laudato Si on the perils posed by global warming was able to make a moral argument that up to now has been missing from secular discourse. This not an oversight; the scientific community by convention does not allow qualitative arguments of a moral or aesthetic character to carry any decisive weight in a scientific dialogue, and yet the crisis of global warming—and many others—demands precisely this kind of thinking. For this reason, a more independent Scholar-in-Residence has the latitude to make contributions that are both vital and unique. It is a place from which to tackle some of the biggest and most interesting questions out there.

A note about the conferred title: a Scholar-in-Residence program is far more than a gambit for helping obscure Ph.D.s look busy. I must also emphasize that a Ph.D., or any college degree, is not required to be a Scholar-in-Residence. The reason for the title is a nod to our society’s obsession with titles and degrees. There are occasions, for instance, when an amateur scholar may wish to attend a conference, but cannot due to lack an institutional affiliation. I know of one such who requested a letter from their local public library naming him a “Scholar-in-Residence” at said library. Armed with that letter, he was allowed to register and attend the conference.

The title need not even be “Scholar.” Poet-in-Residence, Resident Naturalist, Artist, Musician, Historian, Research Associate; all of these and more are good choices. One need not “reside” at the church, obviously, but for those parishioners who are away from the congregation for some reason, but still wish to participate in parish life at a distance, consider “Scholar-at-Large.” Use your imagination and have some fun with them. A temporary position can be an “internship.” You get the idea.

One brief digression: traditionally, a church might appoint a well-known author or intellectual light as a Scholar-in-Residence in order to burnish that church’s reputation. We take the position that the reputation of the church is enhanced by its ability to nurture intellectual activity from within its membership.

The subjects of scholarship can range beyond religious topics. A birding enthusiast may compile and maintain a map of nearby birds nests, or take part in a citizen science project that monitors air quality that have help us better understand our created home. Another might teach art or music workshops. Still another might focus on disaster preparedness, health issues, or environmental concerns. A tailored study of the local job market and economy can prove useful in guiding parish activities or even local policy regarding homelessness and poverty. Other activities may need financial resources, and so a Scholar-in-Residence might apply their skills to fund raising or writing grant proposals. The common denominator is that they have a unifying effect within the parish, and between the parish and the larger community. They can enhance public understanding in their areas of expertise, facilitate dialogue and change.

Apologetics and Polemics

Thankfully, dialogue between faiths is moving past the thrust-and-parry of tedious doctrinal disputations, where each denomination claims the right to condemn the beliefs of the other. One still sees inter-faith polemics in some sectors, but less so, and it tends to invoke amusement at best, disgust at worst. This is generally a positive trend. Castigating others, or manufacturing surplus fear and loathing at “the outsider’s” expense does not create a healthy spiritual environment, even if it does fill the pews. There are far more important things to talk about, and far better ways to talk about them. Polemics is a waste of time. Avoid it.

Likewise shun “research” in the service of a party line. As one searches for references that superficially support a dogma or agenda while ignoring facts that do not, it is inevitable that the results will be tinged with dishonesty and perhaps even intellectual fraud. There is too much of this already in many sectors of Christianity. When such pseudo-intellectual facades crumble, as they invariably do, it further erodes trust of people both in and outside the institution. If our explorations cause us to examine, reconsider, or alter what we think about something, that is good. Religion without growth is a dead end.

Apologetics, is different, but often confused with polemics to its detriment. Apologetics is the art of explaining and defending one’s beliefs to someone outside that belief system. You don’t have to “prove” anything to be a successful apologist, only give a good account of why your faith and the doctrines it teaches moves you in the way it does.

Truly good apologists are rare, regardless of the subject. This is unfortunate, because good apologetics can produce unexpected benefits. Sometimes, in seeking to explain why we believe what we do, we uncover new insights into those beliefs. Constructive apologetics can be an interesting and stimulating exercise.

But apologetics has another role, an important one, which is to say what must be said. This does not mean setting out to create confrontation or division. It means that there are times when, firmly and cogently, uncomfortable truths must be spoken or troubling questions raised. It does not supplant, but supports the role of the priest or rector, sometimes saying what special circumstances or convention prevent them from saying. This is the prophetic voice, which usually comes from outside the established administrative order. It can also include activism, putting competence in the service of those who are vulnerable and have no voice to speak for them. The lay intellectual is in a unique position to speak truth to power, and comfort to the powerless.

Answering the Call

The calling to the intellectual worker can be as simple as mere curiosity. Do not waver, fearing that you aren’t “smart enough” or “know enough.” Focused passion will take you a long way. If you are not confident in your intellectual gifts, but feel the desire to exercise your mind, consider that the greatest intellectual ventures have begun as collaborations and small groups gathering to learn and to explore ideas. Facilitate those gatherings. As an organizational patron, bring complementary minds together, and let them teach you. That is one way to start. Someone with a talent for moderating discussions can often do as much to advance learning as a local expert in some subject.

Another path is to embrace the idea that there are things you do not know, but desire to learn. Let the parish be a party to your commitment to learning and provide a means of accountability for you. Let your calling be to acquire those knowings you seek and, when you feel you have reached a moment of fullness (or an agreed-upon deadline), share your intellectual harvest with others. Are there others that share your curiosity? Invite them to your venture. Ask for their assistance and advice, if applicable.

Obviously, you can do this on your own; it isn’t necessary to formally ask for and receive a title. But bringing your learning into the parish life gives you a pool of potential co-learners; people who are likely to support your efforts. The church is also a place to meet. It can help you identify other community resources. It is a place where you can present the results of your learning to a supportive and sympathetic audience. As you grow, so does the parish. Others can see what is possible and follow suit.

The Role of the Parish

The health parish is a place of sanctuary, a space where one can rest briefly from the rigors of the world, before once more plunging back into the world as part of the Christian mission to make the world better. Intellectual activity is a part of parish life in most congregations, but the vitality of those activities often depend on the kind of environment that exists for the curious, the creative, and the thoughtful among them. Several ways in which a parish can create a healthy learning environment follow, but perhaps the most important is to affirm the legitimacy of the honest seeker and the curious mind. This can be difficult. Thinkers—as distinguished from the habitual contrarian or crank—ask a lot of questions. It is easy to dismiss them as troublemakers, unless those who lead the parish are thinkers also.

Questions and those who ask them are not the problem. It is better to run out of answers than questions. The path of the holy really begins at the point where we still have questions, but have run out of answers. The parish leadership that can help bring parishioners to that point will enrich both the intellectual and the spiritual life of their communities.

Practical Matters

Good learning must be accountable. The Scholar-in-Residence should not be tucked away in the corner somewhere musing away separate from the parish community. Scholars-in-Residence should share their work with the rest of the Parish, or at least describe to them what they are doing and what they have learned. If you are part of a Scholar-in-Residence program, make provisions to report what you are doing, either to the Rector or the Vestry periodically, especially if the Parish is providing space or other support to the project. Do not become indifferent or separate from your community.

Resources

It doesn’t require very much to bring a group of people together. A potluck supper or a pot of hot coffee plus some snacks are a must. So is a warm, welcoming environment where people feel relaxed. Your most important resources will be people. Work to cultivate interest and a desire for others to share and listen.

For workshops and seminars with handouts, feel free to ask for a small donation to cover copying charges, or send documents electronically for participants to print out on their own. Set up a download page to keep your handouts for people who want to access them later. The parish library is an important asset both as storehouse of materials and a place to meet. Consider actively mining or adding to that collection and make a point of letting parishioners know what’s available.

Sometimes a learning project will require some additional funds. Check with the Rector to see if there are any discretionary funds in the education budget, and don’t be afraid to approach the Vestry about getting support for educational activities. Today there are many innovative ways to fund small and unusual projects via crowd-funding or even patronage. A few minutes on the Internet will give you a glimpse of what’s possible. One caveat, however, is that before you go asking for money, you must be able to state exactly what you wish to do, how funds will be spent, and be prepared to give an account of everything you do. Your donors also deserve to see the fruits of your work and research, so include them if you can, in any presentations connected with your work.

Teaching

Even outside of Christianity, Jesus is recognized as a master teacher. The Gospel of Luke records that as a young man, Jesus grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”⁴ Beyond proclaiming the Good News, his ministry was marked by gatherings and conversations for raising questions and sharing parables designed to expand the awareness of his listeners. A Scholar-in-Residence program is an excellent opportunity to participate in that tradition, regardless of the subject. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn about a subject, or catch up on a changing field. It is also one of the most effective ways to build community and connections, which is one of the most important aspects of any Scholar-in-Residence program.

Projects

If you are casting about for project ideas, here are a few possibilities:

Discover your parish library. Most churches have a room full of books that languish, unread. Usually, it is not for lack of interesting books, but because nobody knows what is in the collection. Every week or month, include some “interesting titles from the library” in the parish newsletter, with short descriptions of what the books are about. This can dovetail nicely with existing book groups or reading clubs. A parish might also thoughtfully expand its collection in a particular topic aligned with local interests to create a specialty library.

A study circle. This is a weekly time set aside for people with their own writing or study projects to come together and work quietly together. There’s no need for presenting or critiquing, although you can do that if you like. The general idea is for everyone to commit to being at a certain time and place where they will work on something important to them that might otherwise get lost in the daily grind.

Artist groups. Many churches have regular meetings for local artists both in and outside the parish that lets them share their work or works in progress, in a supportive environment. For beginning artists this can be a wonderful way to overcome that initial fear, while they find their voice and develop their skills.

Student Ministry. As part of a student ministry, set up a regular time when a scholar-in-residence meets with local university students just to give them a chance to discuss the “big ideas” and explore their own intellectual bents.

Free tutoring or literacy programs. This has been a standard activity in many parishes, and would suit itself well to a Scholar-in-Residence program.

Philosopher-in-Residence. In years past, some hospitals made volunteer “Philosophers-in-Residence” available to talk to patients and their families who wanted guidance in navigating the ethical and philosophical aspects associated with difficult medical decisions.

Common Security Clubs. These are organizations made up of people who are struggling in a difficult economy. They are often, but not always unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged. These groups became popular after the crash of 2008 as places to share ideas, make others aware of resources, discuss job search strategies, find ways to economize, and provide mutual support. Hosting a CSC with a Scholar-in-Residence to help research local economic realities can be a big help for people in need.

Nature walks and groups. Most parishes have people who are active bird watchers, amateur astronomers, or enjoy some other hobby that explores the natural world. Invite these people to help us understand and appreciate the wonders of Creation, and our stewardship over it.

Citizen Science. This is a burgeoning new movement that recruits ordinary citizens to participate in projects managed by professional scientists. Usually it consists of taking regular measurement or counts of natural phenomena as a way of getting regular people involved in science. A parish Citizen Science group can be a boon to scientists looking for extra help in a study.

Experimental Garden. Set out a plot of land for a garden for trying new and different methods of cultivation, growing heritage crops, or trying alternative methods of pest control. Involve local gardeners and make your findings available to the public with a newsletter or seminar.

Using tools for scripture study. How many parishioners really know how to use a concordance? Do they know how cross-references work? Have they ever read the Bible with a commentary? A couple of workshops on basic scholarly tools can take personal bible study to a whole new level, even if you don’t read Greek or Hebrew.

Holiday voices. Find parishioners who are willing to write or share their thoughts on some season of the Christian calendar such as Lent or Advent. Keep them short; no more than 300 words or so, then publish them as a pamphlet or insert in the program, or devote an issue of the parish newsletter to them.

Activism. There are good things out there that demand doing. True Christian scholarship is grounded solidly in the world. Don’t waste time passing pointless “resolutions.” Study the nature of the problems, and get to work doing something about it. Repeat as needed.

Media. Podcasts are a great way to explore and share ideas. Setting one up takes a little technical know-how, but it’s not beyond anyone with moderate computer skills. Once you get it going, the real challenge will be finding content; don’t be afraid to experiment and reach out beyond the parish community. For the truly ambitious, take advantage of new FCC rules that make it easier to set up low-power community FM radio stations.

Conclusion

If the ultimate mission of Christianity is to bring humanity closer to God, we must consider that it was after Adam and Even ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that God declared that they had become “as one of us.” Besides God’s prodigal love, what other divine attribute is more defining than knowledge and intelligence?

The Christian tradition has long held that to increase knowledge and understanding was vital to Christian life. In these times it is especially important in today’s intellectual climate that we sharpen our minds, learn as much as we can, and not only use it to better ourselves and the world around us, but that we “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…”⁵

Finally, I submit the following for your consideration, from our Muslim brothers and sisters:

“A person shall arrive [in Heaven] on the Day of Judgement and shall be in possession of good deeds in the measure of vastly accumulated clouds or towering mountains. Witnessing them, he shall ask: ‘Oh My Lord! How can these be for me when I have not performed them?’ God shall reply: ‘This is your knowledge that you had taught and conveyed to the people, and which was acted upon after you had died.’”⁶

To learn is to worship. To teach is to spread a powerful force for good. To learn is an analogue to the process of confession and repentance, in which we continually winnow out those things that mislead us and retain the ample grain, to the betterment of ourselves, our parishes, and the world around us.

Appendicies

Appendix A: Thomas Aquinas’ “16 Precepts for Acquiring Knowledge”

Note: Aquinas’ Precepts were given in the context of the monastic scholar who had separated himself from the rest of the world. Today’s intellectual workers do not have the luxury of cloistered study. Going into the world is a necessity; experience is the most basic form of knowledge. Nevertheless, the Precepts are worth pondering. Aquinas commends a stance of humility in the face of the unknown, energized by a dauntless spirit in the pursuit of truth.

“My Very Dear Brother,

Since you have asked me how you ought to study in order to amass the treasures of knowledge, listen to the advice which I am going to give you.

As a mere stripling,

1. Advance up the streams, and do not all at once plunge into the deep: such is my caution, and your lesson. I bid you to

2. Be chary of speech,

3. Slower still in frequenting places of talk:

4. Embrace purity of conscience,

5. Pray unceasingly,

6. Love to keep to your cell if you wish to be admitted into the mystic wine-cellar.

7. Show yourself genial to all:

8. Pay no heed to other folk’s affairs:

9. Be not over-familiar with any person, because over-much familiarity breeds contempt, and gives occasion to distraction from study.

10. On no account mix yourself up with the sayings and the doings of persons in the outside world.

11. Most of all, avoid all useless visits, but try rather to walk constantly in the footsteps of good and holy men.

12. Never mind from whom the lesson drops, but

13. Commit to memory whatever useful advice may be uttered.

14. Give an account to yourself of your every word and action:

15. See that you understand what you hear, and never leave a doubt unsolved:

16. Lay up all you can in the storehouse of memory, as he does who wants to fill a vase. ‘Seek not the things which are beyond thee’.

Following these ways, you will your whole life long put forth and bear both branches and fruit in the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth. If you take these words to heart, you will attain your desire.”

Appendix B: Thoughts on Spirituality and the Life of the Mind

Selections from the Papal encyclical Fides et Ratio.

In both East and West, we may trace a journey which has led humanity down the centuries to meet and engage truth more and more deeply. It is a journey which has unfolded—as it must—within the horizon of personal self-consciousness: the more human beings know reality and the world, the more they know themselves in their uniqueness, with the question of the meaning of things and of their very existence becoming ever more pressing. This is why all that is the object of our knowledge becomes a part of our life. The admonition Know yourself was carved on the temple portal at Delphi, as testimony to a basic truth to be adopted as a minimal norm by those who seek to set themselves apart from the rest of creation as “human beings”, that is as those who “know themselves”.

John Paul II, Fides et Ratio

“The best thing for being sad, replied Merlyn… is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.”

T. H. White, The Once and Future King

Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.

John Adams

The church is not so much concerned with whether the thoughts of its members are orthodox or heterodox as it is that they shall have thoughts.

Hugh B. Brown

The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr.

He who leaves home in search of knowledge, walks in the path of God.

One hour’s meditation on the work of the Creator is better than seventy years of prayer.

Muhammed

Knowledge is indispensable to Christian life and service. If we do not use the mind that God has given us, we condemn ourselves to spiritual superficiality and cut ourselves off from many of the riches of God’s grace.

John Stott

Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away
from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever else you get, get insight.

Proverbs 4:5-7

Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.

2 Chronicles 1:11-12

For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom gives life to them that have it.

Ecclesiastes 7:12

The road to wisdom? Well, it’s plain
And simple to express:
Err
and err
and err again,
but less
and less
and less.

Piet Hein