Which ‘hokmah’ will Americans choose Nov. 5?
“The Republican Party is the party of common sense.”
– a short, proverb-like maxim from Donald Trump
“Talking about the significance of the passage of time, right, the significance of the passage of time. So, when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time in terms of what we need to do. … And there is such great significance to the passage of time when we think about a day in the life of our children.”
– a meandering, philosophical-ish rambling from Kamala Harris
I find hokmah literature, the classification for such biblical books as Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes (hokmah being the Hebrew word for “wisdom”), to be one of the most fascinating genres of the Hebrew Bible, its wisdom writings flowing along the currents of two very different rivers of thought – the Proverbial and the Philosophical.
Proverbial sayings are short and snappy. Philosophical expressions tend to be long and tangled.
Entering the final 70-day stretch of the presidential campaign, one way to analyze the contest is to imagine Trump and Harris in a race on the rapids of those two rivers of wisdom – the Proverbial and the Philosophical.
Which “wisdom” will America choose on Nov. 5?
Trump seems propelled by the well-worn and oft-proven oars of his proverbially-oriented brand of wisdom, while Kamala paddles, often aimlessly, with her more philosophically-oriented wisdom.
Trump’s leadership style, both in business and politics, have been quintessentially Proverbial, navigating the waters with common-sense maxims framed as cleverly as possible, sometimes crassly stated, at times cringingly so. With his famous nicknames, whether callously or humorously offered, he seeks to say as much as possible in as few words as possible, a key feature of any well-crafted proverb.
Kamala’s leadership style slopes toward the Philosophical, at times sliding out of control in a barrage of incoherency. Her snaking search for wisdom at times stumbles into clumsy word salads, such as her “great significance to the passage of time” saunter, leading listeners to imagine if her third Chardonnay has yet been poured.
Proverbial wisdom (the book of Proverbs, obviously, the best example) is expressed in short, pithy quips founded upon common sense and conveyed as principles to follow in the quest for success. Biblical proverbs are often cast as advice from parent to child as, for example, “My child, be attentive to my hokmah (wisdom); incline your ear to my understanding” (Proverbs 5:1, NRSV). Readers are invited to time-travel back to their youth to hear again their parents’ advice, realizing that the aim was always for our safety, happiness and prosperity.
Attention, discipline and action are required by Proverbial wisdom, the promise being that if the maxim is followed, success will ensue. Proverbial wisdom is unfailingly optimistic, in a “Follow me and you’ll win so much you’ll get tired of winning!” sort of way.
Sound familiar?
Philosophical wisdom, on the other hand (Job and Ecclesiastes being prime biblical examples of this stream of hokmah literature) is unable to congeal its quest into compact axioms. Philosophical wisdom requires one to navigate a more convoluted route, for how could one possibly tackle such deep issues of our human condition as the book of Job’s “Why do innocents suffer?” in a few words suitable for a bumper sticker, T-shirt, cap, or tattoo?
How, then, do these two biblical wisdom streams manifest in the Trump/Harris contest? Consider but one example, that of the southern border.
Trump’s common-sense bluntness in the 2016 campaign required no lengthy exposition: “Build the Wall!” When, in January of 2019, his border policy was implemented, it was easily summarized in three words, the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
If Proverbial wisdom aims to set the hook in as few words as possible, Trump’s border policy is a shining example of how proverbially-oriented leadership, single-mindedly aiming for public safety and prosperity, can be a winning formula.
Czar Harris’ Philosophical bent, on the other hand, led her intuitively to embark upon the tortuously winding task of first discovering the root causes of political and economic instability driving immigrants to our border in the first place. Only after discovery of the core issues driving the invasion, presumably, could the border itself be addressed.
It’s no wonder Harris’ circuitous approach to the border, eschewing common-sense solutions, failed. To borrow a phrase from the Bible’s greatest work of hokmah (IMHO), Ecclesiastes, the Biden/Harris policy has been Re’ut Ruach (a chasing after the wind).
Philosophical wisdom is ineffective to address urgent, real-world problems, because it is not overly concerned with immediate results but is, rather, enchanted by the long journey. Arriving at the destination is not nearly so important as the gathering of wisdom along the twisting trail.
Don’t get me wrong, the long quest for Philosophical wisdom is a high and worthy pursuit. In my own teaching, I much prefer to handle the Philosophical brand of hokmah to the Proverbial, an opportunity to tackle the twisted parts of our human journey, to delve into the dark places of human suffering with Job, or explore the futility of the quest for life’s meaning with the Qoheleth (Hebrew = Teacher) of Ecclesiastes.
Both streams of biblical hokmah – the compact, action-oriented Proverbial wisdom and the meandering quest for Philosophical wisdom – are important. Every individual should value both in developing a rich and meaningful life.
One’s leadership style, however – whether in business or politics – tends to emphasize one or the other, as I have sought to demonstrate with the disparity of each candidate’s border policy.
The question then becomes, which “wisdom” does America need now in the White House? Which will voters choose?
My prediction? After Kamala’s post-DNC honeymoon is over and she is required to address the issues concerning Americans – the economy, the border, crime, foreign policy, etc. – in an atmosphere requiring substance rather than the phony vaporous vibe wafting from Chicago all last week, I expect that her penchant for philosophical wandering will increasingly sit uncomfortably with swing state, undecided voters.
I expect Trump’s bluntly expressed, action-oriented, Proverbial brand of wisdom to win the White House in this historical moment when Americans recognize the need for action to reverse the last four years of Biden/Harris.
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