Slow Havamal: 6

[kylec]

In the sixth verse, the wise man is cautioned to avoid being showy with his wisdom—to remain silent in the stranger’s home. It is better to be watchful. Harm will rarely come, and there is no better friend than plenty of wisdom.

Wisdom as I see it is the structural relationship between all of your experiences, the way that structure orients you to the world, like a map to a foreign land. It isn’t possible to know everything, and no two “wisdoms” are the same, as they’re made up of unique points, in unique orientation. So whatever that wisdom may be, Odin cautions us to guard it when entering the home of a stranger. Because Hell, nobody likes a know-it-all. Novel experiences are sources for more wisdom if we let them unfold organically. But if we go in making assumptions and regaling our host with what we know of nutritional sciences, trade policies, and comparative metallurgy, we stand to miss whatever there was to learn. We also stand to make a fool of ourselves if the host knows more, or just a different and excellent way, and finds the lecture off-putting.

While hospitality isn’t necessarily adversarial, there are plenty of reasons why it might be unwise to advertise everything you know and tip your hand to a quiet man. Better to be watchful, says Odin. To take in the sights and the smells, and listen to the wise words your host may have. If something unpleasant is going to surprise me, it’s more likely to happen while I’m running my trap—imposing my preconceived notions onto the situation—than while taking everything in as it comes.

Humble attention has the capacity to increase our supply of wisdom. There is never a more faithful friend, says the poem. That line suggests that while we can benefit from taking in other points of view, personal experience is paramount. If everyone says turnips are healthy, but they make me go into anaphylactic shock, it’s my own experience that matters. Very often we look for wisdom from outside sources in the sense of, “gimme some wise stuff that I can memorize and repeat to others—the less willing, the better.” Listening is crucial, but what we gain should be processed through our own experiences, integrated with the rest of the system, and allowed to find an expression that serves the individual well.

And if all that sounds tenuous and complicated, I can always just shut up.