28. A WISE PERSON ESTIMATES THE OUTCOME OF THINGS AND PROTECTS HIMSELF AGAINST THEM
The most foolish of person is he who only focuses on the current status, and does not contemplate it changing, or expecting the unexpected that might occur.
A leader may, for example, be deceived by his leadership. When things begin to change, he finds himself in unfamiliarly bad situation. His miscalculations might lead him to make enemies because (he remains convinced) he has power and authority, but then things change and he feels guilty.
Similar is the case of one who is extravagant in spending money while relying on the wealth he owns. Some people eat, drink and have sexual relations out of trust in their health. They forget that this will result in illness later.
Among the strangest of situations is that he falls in love (mahabbah) with a concubine, so he frees her, then marries her and showers her with lot of gifts. He then becomes powerful, and as time passes by he begins to love her less and seeks another woman. He finds no way out except to leave her and all the wealth she had taken from him.
One must not trust a woman or anyone’s love absolutely. He might love a woman and think that he can never leave her, but then he begins to despise her. He then seeks another woman and contemplates leaving the first woman. Yet, it is not easy for him to do so.
So a wise person does not enter into something except that he develops an exit strategy. Things do not remain constant, and love does not last, and change is inevitable.
A person might grant money to his son, but then becomes dependent on his son. Thus the son begins to wish for the father’s death, or he does not support him sufficiently.
A person is fooled by times of good health. He forgets the pathways of death, for it comes suddenly when there are no ways of escaping it. All that remains are feelings of guilt.
So a wise person always keeps his eye on the final result, is cautious of what could happen— preserves money and secrets, not trusting of a wife or son, or friend and is prepared to meet death, and ready to relocate (beyond this world).
This is the nature of people with discipline.
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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