‘Wisdom Is Better Than Rubies’: The Intellectual Life Is for Everyone

Great thinkers remind us that silence, reading, and contemplation are the beginning of wisdom.
‘Wisdom Is Better Than Rubies’: The Intellectual Life Is for Everyone
The intellectual life requires moments of solitude, reflection, and engagement with ideas that nourish the mind. Giammarco Boscaro/Unsplash
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Whatever their physical conditioning, all Americans recognize the value of hitting the gym, playing golf or tennis, walking or running, and movement in general. We’re also more aware than ever about the foods we eat, deliberating, for instance, over the inventory of calories and additives on bottles and canned goods in the grocery store, or limiting our intake of sugar and alcohol.

The same level of care extends to our mental and emotional well-being. We take to heart self-help guides like “The Healthy Mind Toolkit” and “Raising Calm Kids in a World of Worry.” Some of us seek therapy or take medication when we’re troubled or depressed, while others find strength and comfort in their religious beliefs and practices.

Jeff Minick
Jeff Minick
Author
Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C. He is the author of two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust on Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning as I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va.