Wise Fools
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. William Shakespeare
Gregg’s Reflection
In the mid-90’s, I was on retreat, and I spent time writing down values I wanted to live into, and action steps to help me live them. As my Christian faith grew, I had a harder time reconciling my life with the values I aspired to hold.
At the end of the exercise, I summarized all that I had written into one desire: to become a Wise Leader. I left the business world at the end of ‘99, and spent the next couple of decades trying to live into that aspiration.
When I studied with Robert Fritz, we would meet at his 250 year old farm on 40 acres in Vermont. When we bought land in Colorado and built our cabin, I could not wait to host retreats here.
For five years, I hosted a leadership retreat here called Manmaker for the men of CityChurch Eastside-Atlanta. One Saturday afternoon, the men had gone to find a Manmaker Challenge of strength and endurance. Since they were half my age, I knew to stay home. Instead, I went over and sat on an Adirondack chair in the snow, looking at the Continental Divide, the Indian Peaks and Rocky Mountain National Park from our fire pit.
As I sat there in the sun on a bluebird day, I started beating myself up over some points I had forgotten in the talk I had just given. I caught myself, and thought, “Here you are, seeing a vision come true, and you are beating yourself up? What’s that about?” I realized how important it had become to appear wise.
From my depths, I heard a question: ‘Who is wise?’
Then, I heard, ’What wisdom do you have that I didn’t give you?’
And again, ‘Who is wise?’
Immediately, this Scripture verse came to mind from Mark 10:17-18: The Rich Man and the Kingdom of God. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”
Then, this verse from 1 Corinthians came to me: What do you have that you did not receive? Also, if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?
I was convicted in my heart and in that moment I decided that I would let go of my desire to be wise, and spend the next season living into being the fool. The Fool finds liberation in humility because concerns over how we will appear are set aside for an expression of the deep truths of our soul.
Journaling Prompts
How much energy do you put into trying to be ‘wise’ or ‘strong’ or any other adjective? How important is reputation? In what ways are these impulses attempts to feed and protect the fragile ego? How much energy would be freed up if you let go of these pretenses? What have you been longing to do but afraid of looking “foolish” to others?
Scripture
For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.
Psalm 49:10
Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?
Psalm 94:8
Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”
Ecclesiastes 2:15
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
Romans 1:22
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 Corinthians 1:20
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.
1 Corinthians 3:18
Ancient Writings
My brothers, my brothers. God has called me by the way of humility and simplicity ... The Lord told me what he wanted. He wanted me to be a new fool for the world.
St Francis of Assisi
The surest sign of wisdom is constant cheerfulness.
Michel de Montaigne
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
William Shakespeare, As You Like It
Modern Writings
Wise Fools. According to the pattern, the wise fools are always formed in the testing ground of exile when the customary and familiar are taken away and they must go deeper and much higher for wisdom. As a result, they no longer fit or belong among their own.
I believe that there are two necessary paths enabling us to move toward wisdom: a radical journey inward and a radical journey outward. For far too long we’ve confined people to a sort of security zone, a safe “lukewarm” midpoint, which the Bible warns us against, as to the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:15‒16). We’ve called them neither to a radical path inward, in other words, to contemplation, nor to a radical path outward, that is, to commitment on the social issues of their time. We prefer to stay in a secure middle position, probably because these two great teachers, the inner and the outer way, both cause pain.
Failure and falling short are the best teachers; success has virtually nothing to teach us on the spiritual path. The holy fool is the last stage of the wisdom journey. It is the individual who knows their dignity and therefore does not have to polish or protect it. It is the man or woman who has true authority and does not have to defend it or anyone else’s authority. It is the child of God who has met the One who watches over sparrows and fashions galaxies, and therefore can comfortably be a child of God. They and they alone can be trusted to proclaim the Reign of God.
Richard Rohr, CAC Morning Devotion, 2/26/21
The wise fool, or the wisdom of the fool, is a form of literary paradox in which, through a narrative, a character recognized as a fool comes to be seen as a bearer of wisdom. A recognizable trope found in stories and artworks from antiquity to the twenty-first century, the wisdom of the fool often captures what Intellectualism fails to illuminate of a thing's meaning or significance; thus, the wise fool is often associated with the wisdom found through blind faith, reckless desire, hopeless romance, and wild abandon, but also tradition without understanding, and folk wisdom. Wikipedia
We are fools for the sake of Christ. 1 Corinthians 4:10
There are many aspects of St Francis’ foolishness, from stripping his clothing publicly, appearing naked in the church, renouncing his wealth, befriending all creatures, and calling his community of brothers “fools for Christ” reflecting the words of St. Paul above. He tames a wolf and during the Crusades he walks unarmed across the Egyptian desert into the Sultan’s camp where he had every reason to expect his own death, a foolish act indeed.
We are always being called to new revelation and to see the world from another perspective. The inner Fool is the one who helps us to see things anew and to dismantle the accepted wisdom of our times. Productivity, striving, consumption, and speed are some of the false gods of our western culture. A life committed to following the Divine path is one which makes the world’s wisdom seem foolish, but conversely, the world looks upon those with spiritual commitment often as the ones who are “fools.”
This can be a challenging archetype for some of us as we often try to do everything possible so as not to look foolish. However, this archetype is the one which helps to subvert the dominant paradigm of acceptable ways of thinking and living. The author GK Chesterton, in his book about Francis of Assisi, explores the idea of Francis seeing the world upside down, which is really seeing it right side up, because we get a totally new perspective. There is a subversive act of truth-telling through the Fool’s humor and playfulness.
The Fool risks mockery by stepping out of socially acceptable roles and asks where are you willing to look foolish? Through the fool we find vicarious release for much we have repressed in ourselves. If we have always lived according to the “rules” or been overly concerned with how things look, the Fool invites us to break open and play. The Fool encourages us to laugh at ourselves, reminding us that humor and humility have the same root as humus, which means earthiness.
We activate the fool when we do something that others have a hard time understanding or accepting. I remember when John and I first began our move to Europe and we sold off or gave away our possessions, various family members and friends couldn’t understand different things we had let go of – how could we release our library of treasured books? How could I burn years of journals? How could John quit his secure job? To some, our choices appeared “foolish” because they didn’t fit their way of thinking about how you move through life. To others, they seemed liberating precisely because it was a different path chosen.
How does Francis call you to your own path of holy foolishness? What have you been longing to do but afraid of looking “foolish” to others?
Christine Valters Paintner, Feast of St. Francis and the Holy Fool
About the Fool Archetype: The Fool is often seen in stories alongside the King or Ruler. In these stories, the Fool's job is to deflate the ego of the Ruler - and to say (in jest) what needs to be said, but no-one else is willing to say out loud. The Fool is protected - and has a special role - above the politicking and machinations of 'court'. The Fool is clever and wise, speaks the truth and challenges authority - but softens the blow with humor. Finally, the Fool is resilient - not caring what other people think, laughing at life's difficulties and challenges, and getting back up - again and again - after being knocked down. In current culture our political satirists and comedians are often the Wise Fools.
7 Strengths of the (Wise) Fool Archetype
A lack of concern about what other people think of them.
Trusting the process - enjoying the journey and letting things be rather than trying to control them.
Living in the present moment - because that is all there is.
Living life as a game - seeing the lighter side of darker situations.
They poke fun at the ego.
They create their own rules.
No matter what, the Fool has a zest for life!
Emma-Louise, The Coaching Tools Company
Characteristics: The Wise Fool is often literally a fool or jester; a comic character who is present for entertainment rather than intellect. Of course, the character has developed beyond those restrictions. Whatever his occupation, the Wise Fool is an outsider who is not valued for his (or her) intellect. It is there that the Fool is able to source his power. By being free from the standards of society, an outsider in essence, the Fool can observe and comment with few limitations, including mocking the social elite. But, the truth of the Fool’s words may be missed by characters who dismiss them as worthless. His wisdom stems not from acquired knowledge but from common sense and insight.
Amber Kelly Literary Blueprints: The Wise Fool. 3/26/15