An old Irish saying

I try to reflect on the significance of most holidays – the audacity of our founding fathers on the Fourth of July, the birth of Jesus on Christmas, the pioneering spirit of the Pilgrim’s on Thanksgiving.

St. Patrick’s Day this year was really just a chance to justify a beer and a reason to research an Irish cocktail to enjoy. Out of nowhere though, I remembered an Irish saying that hangs on the wall in one of my favorite restaurants:

Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from any direction.

I’d argue that this simple wisdom applies now more than ever. While most people may not be fools generally, most people are fools in some part of their life. An example might be an angry but uninformed person with a political opinion. And yet we voluntarily approach and lock horns with these people with no intent to change minds, only to self-declare a very hollow victory.

Avoiding fools first takes discernment and then discipline. But it is one of the more productive skills you can acquire.