As I read Proverbs 26, I am reminded of a wise principal who
remained calm and in control when confronted with a volatile situation. Proverbs 26:4 states, “Do not answer a fool
according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.” In other words,
it is not good to get on the same level as a person who is behaving foolishly.
One day, I had the opportunity to observe this wise
principal as he talked to a parent that was obviously upset. This concerned mother, in a loud voice,
announced to the school secretary and all who happened to be in the office,
that she was extremely upset. She
demanded to see the principal at once.
Right or wrong, this lady was disrupting the educational process, and people
were starting to stare at her.
The principal quickly defused the situation by immediately
coming to speak to the parent. I noticed
that she was almost yelling when she spoke, but when the wise principal spoke, he
lowered his voice so that it was almost inaudible. As a result, the parent actually had to move
toward the principal to hear his gentle words.
In turn, the lady began to lower her voice. She seemed to relax. Parent and principal continued to talk, but
they were almost whispering. Then, after
a brief period of time, the two people went inside the principal’s office to
discuss the matter in the privacy of his office. The disruptive situation was resolved because
of the wise principal’s actions. She was
loud. He was quiet. She was harsh. He was gentle.
Are you reminded of an instance when a situation was defused
because a person remained calm when confronted with foolish behavior?
Jan Harris
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