Spiritual growth: Whoever controls his temper is better than a warrior, and anyone who has control of his spirit is better than someone who captures a city. Proverbs 16:32
The Book of Proverbs is a sapiential book containing beautiful advice for living. King Solomon, who was likely the author of the book, condensed within it not only the wisdom of ancient Israel but also the wisdom that was common to all the peoples of the Middle East. This great sage, through his counsel, made it clear that the wisdom of the Most High is not something inaccessible to be awaited after death in the afterlife, but something profoundly practical, which can be put into practice in the small acts of daily life. This is because the dominion or reign of wisdom is a progressive, gradual, and benevolent empire that leads humankind to that truth which is associated with eternal life and immortality.
Among the beautiful pieces of advice left by King Solomon, one stands out as particularly interesting regarding spiritual growth, with these words: "Whoever controls his temper is better than a warrior, and anyone who has control of his spirit is better than someone who captures a city" Proverbs 16:32.
Conquering one's own mind is more important than conquering a country or a city, wrote the Sage, because the mind sometimes betrays a person, especially when it comes to passions like anger, guilt, envy, fury, and resentment. The passion for its level of destructiveness can ruin entire lives; reason and passion often respond to very different desires, and this is something that a sensible man does not forget. Achieving self-control is therefore fundamental for the mature person, that is, the person of integrity. And this is one of the great achievements of those who walk the path of the fear of God (constancy, firmness, devotion) and righteousness, an achievement even more important than happiness itself, because happiness is sometimes fleeting, like a cloud carried by the wind, but self-control is not fleeting, because it is related to something more important: the gift of eternal life, the spiritual life that, once obtained, cannot be lost. Self-control, ultimately, is linked to the higher and more perfect spiritual gifts, and the best example in the Bible of what self-control means is the wise man.
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