Lending

Do not lend to one who is stronger that you; but if you do lend anything, count it as a loss.

Sirach

I just found this thought interesting. Obviously more or less everyone has had negative experiences of lending something to someone and it not being returned as expected. But maybe it is better so to treat what is happening with this lending more in the raw. The verb of action here is giving; there  is really no verb of lending. The physical act is one person gives something to another, and so we are maybe better off “counting it as a loss”, that we are not lending but giving. We don’t know it is going to come back so the better mindset might be to only give something to someone if we are prepared for it to be a giving and a loss. Then we can’t be taken by surprise later by whatever happens.

Another thought from Sirach while I’m here:

Do not argue with the loud of mouth, and do not heap wood on their fire.