“Almost Every Wise Saying Has An Opposite One...."

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 16 December 2023 “Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it.” ― George Santayana Fate favours those who work hard.........An old English proverb/ Fate provides preys to a python despite being sluggish........ A Burmese Proverb Beauty is its own enemy..............French saying/ Beauty is a blessing......... William Wordsworth Arguments hone the minds........Plato/ Arguments blunt human intelligence....... Bertrand Russell Art is an illusion.........Raphael/ Art is a reality....... Michelangelo December 16 is the 160th Birth anniversary of Spanish-American philosopher, poet and humanist George Santayana ------ 'There's no such thing as a free lunch' but it is also true that ' The best things in life are free.' 'One's never too old to learn' is a famous proverb which is almost an axiom but 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks' is also a time-honoured aphorism! 'Birds of a feather flock together' gets its nemesis in 'Opposites attract!' 'Fortune favours the bold' but ' Discretion is the better part of valour' also has profound wisdom. 'Love happens at first blush' (Christopher Marlowe)/ 'Love grows slow and steadily' (Thomas Moore). " Scriptures are dogmas" (Spinoza)/ 'Scriptures are the finest literature' (St. Augustine) As George Santyana rightly observed, all the abovementioned famous quotes, sayings, adages and aphorisms have counter quotes and maxims which are also equally right. Even Truth is never permanent. It's contextual as well as situational. In other words, it's relative. We, therefore, must avoid absolutism. Life is enriched by contradictions and paradoxes because contradictions enable us to look at things comprehensively. They strike a balance in life and also mellow us down. When you realize that every 'truth' has a counter 'truth', you stop insisting on the 'truth' you're aware of. Remember, your 'truth' is a private 'truth.' Pit it against the public 'truth' and finally against the universal 'truth'. This helps widen our horizons. Every idea has a semblance of Truth and an element of Validity. An interesting anecdote will drive home the point. Two philosophers were enjoying their drinks. One of them said, "My wife is my life." Other one said, "Life with my wife is a perpetual strife." Both being erudite, understood the individual perspective of each other and didn't argue. They laughed, clinked glasses and had one more drink. Learn to respect contradictory viewpoints and drink life to the lees. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/wise-saying-opposite/d/131320 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism