Folk wisdom
? ?In schools as in workplaces, a proverb - practice makes perfect - can often be heard. But what does this mean? The underlying idea is that if we do something repeatedly, we'll able to do it well and finally master it. But it is not often the case. If we repeat a thing in a wrong way, we will end up in going far away from the mastery of it.
? ?Such folk wisdom is so prevalent that it is integrated into part of our life. In teaching/learning, there is "If I rest, I rust" ;in friendship, "birds of a feather flock together"; in love, "absence makes the heart grow fonder" ; in working, "Haste makes waste" ; in parenting, "Spare the rod, spoil the child". Such proverbs are as not wise as they seem.
? ?One one hand, most proverbs have exact opposite counterparts, or at least peers that give different advice. Do they say "If I rest, I rust" but "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" ? "Birds of a feather flock together" but " Opposites attract"? " Absence makes the heart grow fonder" but "Out of sight, out of mind"? " Haste makes waste" but "He who hesitates is lost"? "Spare the rod, spoil the child" ?but ""?
Proverbs that relay wisdom about how we're supposed to live do not necessarily supply useful or advice. In fact, they are sometimes used merely to justify what we already do or believe, rather than as guidelines for action. And we tend to switch proverbs to suit our current values and ideas. But this doesn't mean that proverbs are useless.
? ?Most proverbs are only useful ?within their own boundaries.
