Discretion – The Pillar of Wisdom

Discretion is more profound than mere knowledge of right and wrong and making a suitable choice for whatever we fancy.
It is the strong pillar upon which wisdom conveniently rests. It is the bedrock of people acting wisely in rather tricky situations.
Scripture affirms that wisdom is the principal thing we should acquire. We are further enjoined to gain an understanding of all our acquisitions.
These predispositions mean that we should treat the twin issues of understanding and wisdom with the utmost desire and practically work towards acquiring and applying them as occasion demands.
However, the seeming glue that joins these is discretion.

How Does Discretion Work?

Discretion is not our ability to know what is right or limited to doing what is right. It extends to knowing when, how, and with what specific measure we do what is right.
Discretion tests our understanding of what is true (self-truth) and “universal truth” (if that really exists) so that we do not inadvertently become oblivious to the broader implications of doing what we consider to be right without infringing on others.

Discretion is also about:

• Knowing what is right and whether we should do something now or later.
  There are instances where what is right to do may need to be done later. This means that we do the right thing at the wrong time, and we may burn our fingers in the process. In cases like these, you may need some measure of sensitivity.
• Doing the right things right at the right time.
  Yes, the time may be right, but if things are not done the ‘proper’ way, we may have jettisoned the application of discretion in our action(s).
• Knowing what is wrong and altogether avoiding acting on such.
  When we are convinced that a course of action is intently wrong, discretion advises not to contemplate it, much less act on it.
• Differentiating when a seemingly wrong action may be beneficial in the long run.
  For instance, inflicting punishment may be latently wrong, but not deploying it sometimes may have far deeper consequences in the near future. Akin to that is reporting a ‘good neighbour’ who has done something wrong because we fear they may suffer if reported. However, the probable lessons learned in the future may be lost without such a report.

In Exercising Discretion at All Times, We Become:

• Wiser in our decision-making
• Less prone to avoidable but regrettable errors
• Better able to exercise judgments over matters
• Better in our interpersonal relationships
• Deeper in understanding and putting our knowledge to better use

Next time, before you act on any matter, take a deep breath and consider discretion.
Ask yourself: Do I have to act this way, or is there a better alternative? Do I have to respond or just keep quiet?

When we exercise discretion quite often, we become wiser, and we may be saving ourselves from experiencing unnecessary hurts a lot of the time.

What are your thoughts?
Do you think discretion really matters?
Your perspective(s) are welcome.