A Fool's Mouth is His Destruction

Today I read Proverbs 18 and I liked the phrase that a fools mouth is his destruction.  It never ceases to amaze me that the people who seem to talk the most in general, are the people that have the least amount of knowledge on things.  We are always boasting in our own strength, in our wisdom, how much we have done,etc.  I know what it is, it's pride.  We are more concerned with how we are thought of by others, than by how we are perceived by God.  We want to be thought of as smart by those around us, so we try and add to conversations that we know nothing about.  We would rather fake knowledge, than gain knowledge through study and hard work.  Why are we so prideful that we crave the approval of those around us, even if we don't even know the person very well?  And often when we try and add to a conversation we don't have a working knowledge about, we only look more foolish.  I don't know who first said it, but the old adage is very applicable here, "It's better to be though of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".  If we want to be thought of as wise, then the best thing to do is to gain knowledge.  If we want to contribute to other people's conversations and be able to speak with authority, then we need to learn about what they are speaking and gain more intelligence.  That is the way to avoid being a fool, which none of us want to be.  Until tomorrow.