The Wise Man Is Silent, The Fool Is Noisy, and other such sayings to the same effect
I am not really so big on Confucianism, because I do not really like the idea of a magic formula for how to behave accordingly to or with society, but its roots in Daoism still give it some good points.
And one such is the saying that the man who keeps talking is not wise, the man who is wise does not talk...and for one reason or another, I never really got the point of it or why it was so, or even if it was so or simply if it should have been, until now....
See, one who does not know will really talk so much, and why? Since he does not know or "get it", he will rejoice at every moment that he discovers something new or gains some insight...and the feeling of obtaining that piece of knowledge will make him crave for more (because he feels good about himself), so he tries to process it by extension, so he will ramble and ramble...either that, or he is so happy that he wants to share this singular insight with the rest of the world...and this euphoria will be fuelled really not by the piece of knowledge but by the thought of "I was ignorant before, and now I am wise!", not considering that a singular insight sticks out in such a manner is reflective of the immense lack all around it, much like a singular dot on a pure white sheet of paper...
But, for one who "gets it" and is therefore wise, seeing these things happen is of no consequence, because it is expected. There is no compulsion for jumping up and down in a jubilant manner...instead of ecstatic euphoria, what you have with the wise man is nothing but a silent nod...and the affairs of the world do not concern him much. But for a fool, a singular happening in the world will trigger the rationalizing mistake of extension...or the ever present unsolicited preaching of the good news...
And one such is the saying that the man who keeps talking is not wise, the man who is wise does not talk...and for one reason or another, I never really got the point of it or why it was so, or even if it was so or simply if it should have been, until now....
See, one who does not know will really talk so much, and why? Since he does not know or "get it", he will rejoice at every moment that he discovers something new or gains some insight...and the feeling of obtaining that piece of knowledge will make him crave for more (because he feels good about himself), so he tries to process it by extension, so he will ramble and ramble...either that, or he is so happy that he wants to share this singular insight with the rest of the world...and this euphoria will be fuelled really not by the piece of knowledge but by the thought of "I was ignorant before, and now I am wise!", not considering that a singular insight sticks out in such a manner is reflective of the immense lack all around it, much like a singular dot on a pure white sheet of paper...
But, for one who "gets it" and is therefore wise, seeing these things happen is of no consequence, because it is expected. There is no compulsion for jumping up and down in a jubilant manner...instead of ecstatic euphoria, what you have with the wise man is nothing but a silent nod...and the affairs of the world do not concern him much. But for a fool, a singular happening in the world will trigger the rationalizing mistake of extension...or the ever present unsolicited preaching of the good news...