Verse of the Day for August 10

A fool's wrath is presently known. Presently, in the older English, means at once. Immediately. The same minute.

That is the mark Proverbs gives the fool under pressure. Not that he gets angry, everyone does, but that his anger shows up the moment it is felt. No delay between the spark and the shout.

The prudent person is described in contrast: a prudent man covereth shame. He covers it. He holds the insult for a moment before deciding what to do with it. That might mean answering later, or not at all, or dealing with it privately rather than in front of the whole office.

The verse before adds a quieter thought, that a man is satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. What we say under pressure does not vanish. It grows into something we will later have to eat.

Pressure has a way of shrinking time. The boss's message lands, the child spills the drink, a driver cuts in front of you on the expressway. Wisdom makes a little space. Take a breath. Ask yourself whether this needs saying now. The delay is not weakness. It is where prudence lives.

A pause of a few seconds can save a relationship of many years.

Whatever you say under pressure today, you will meet again later.