There is an old saying which goes "the way a person does one thing is the way they do everything". I encountered this saying twice this week, once in a positive light:
And once in much less favourable terms:
Mario doesn't hold back.
"Even hearing you say it, I find it so stupid. It's obviously incorrect, but it sounds like something that has the rough shape of wisdom, so people have attached themselves to this idea."
And yet when I saw David's tweet, it made me think. I could see how this ancient proverb had been useful to him.
I think it highlighted to me that wisdom is actually in the ear of the beholder. The same words can be "obviously incorrect" to somebody, and quite helpful to someone else.
If I was to guess why they disagree in this case, Mario seems to be assessing it as a descriptor, and finding it wanting, while David is using it as a prompt, and finding it useful.
This variety in reception doesn't just exist between people, I also observe it in myself over time, as ideas which were once bewildering or opaque become clearer, and ideas which resonated lose their lustre.
So when I encounter something that I don't understand, which is deeply meaningful to someone else, I try to be curious, rather than dismissive. Easier said than done.