“A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian* spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.”
Alexander Pope 1688-1744
*In Greek Mythology the Pierian Spring of Macedonia was sacred to the muses. Throughout Western history the term “Pierian Spring” has been used as a metaphor for the source of knowledge of art and scicnce. As Christians we know the true Source of art and science, yet a grasp of symbols in classic literature enhances our understanding.
In the words, “. . . drink deep or taste not”, Pope refers to superficial knowledge devoid of profound understanding—the difference between dalliance and immersion in most any aspect of learning and life. In the book of Proverbs, this difference embodies the dichotomy between a “fool” and a “man of wisdom”.
I memorized the above quote by Alexander Pope years ago, in college. The words have come back to me countless times over the decades—as a reminder to quiet down and grow inside, as well as a checkmate on my fallen human proclivity for presumptuous words and deeds.
There is a fine line between superficial knowledge and profound understanding. The line may not be always apparent; indeed we want to believe that everyone we meet will present a deeper understanding. But that is simply not so! Times of crisis delineate, and we realize the dichotomy as it is evident in the responses of other people around us.
A friend recently told me of a tragedy in her next door neighbor’s home, where an infant had died. My friend visited the home, and later described the scenario to me. She said something like, “I just sat quietly and held the father’s hand. Yet, people were talking! I couldn’t believe it. People were talking.”
When living an ongoing crisis of illness or pain we sometimes encounter that same kind of insensitivity. The line between knowledge and understanding is evident in the various people we meet. Obviously, we do not want to be surrounded by gloomy faces. Cheerful individuals are good medicine when they possess an intrinsic understanding of whom we are and where we are, although they may not have been there themselves.
Conversely we’re wounded when people around us Breeze, Bluster, and Blurt—saying whatever pops into their head while making light of our concerns and reservations as if those reservations were not absolutely essential to our survival.
Unfortunately some individuals project a flippant “Oh, just do this and don’t do that” mentality. Perhaps they think they are being theraputically “cheerful”, but in fact they are downright clueless. They have knowledge without understanding; they’ve never crossed the line between superficial and profound. They’ve never purposed to “drink deep”.
To the Christian believer, a life crisis is “Holy Ground”. Spiritually, God ”speaks” to us through the crisis—profoundly applying our knowledge of His Word to the very depths of our souls. A sensitive onlooker will understand the significance of Holy Ground. Metaphorically speaking, he will take off his shoes and quietly draw alongside us wherever we may be. He will not burden us with heavy gloom; yet he will not invade or invalidate our circumstances by “making light” in his conversation or prayers. The sensitive person has crossed that fine line!
Margaret L. Been, ©2011
