The Elders’ Wisdom
By D. Othniel Forte
Copyright 2014 D. Othniel Forte
All rights reserved.
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the women in my life, my mothers:
Naomi D. Forte, T Racheal Forte, Francesca Duah, Annie Johnson and Harriet Duah Forte, Grandma, Christiana Pratt
To all of you I say thank you for making me all that I am. I wish you Happy Mother’s Day.
FOR:
May Wilson, Emily Freeman and Mrs. Reeves of MDES, you are highly missed.
Also in appreciation to all the elders of Liberia, may your wisdom take us through the difficult times we face.
To our dearly departed, may your souls rest in peace.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Section One
Section Two
Section Three
Section Four
Section Five
Books by the Author
About the Author
Author’s note
The Elders’ Wisdom is a collection of some of the most powerful proverbs from all over Liberia. It is different from its predecessor, Proverbs from Liberia, in this manner. Each parable has an explanation. Truthfully, assigning meanings to parable is against my better judgment. As I mentioned in the earlier book, I do believe that to each, his own. I believe that individuals should be free to interpret these sayings as they see fit. By placing meanings, it appears that there is a restriction being attached to the parable. It takes away from them something valuable, the ability to use them in multiple situations.
If this is the case, then one might ask why bother explaining them? The answer is simple. Since the circulation of the first book in the series, I have received countless requests from readers to explain or give meaning to one parable or another. In response, I am now doing so.
However, I must state strongly that these meanings should not be used as the only way to understand a particular proverb. They should not be used as fixed interpretations and restrict the saying to that situation alone. There are many reasons why I feel it is necessary to sound this note of warning. Firstly, some of the meanings may not be how some people understand the proverb. Secondly, the meaning may not be applicable in multiple situations and this will not do justice to the parable. Thirdly, some of them are the exact meanings I received when the parables were relayed to me. I did not feel the need to change them since they were presented in that fashion.
Overall, I would like to end with this caution. Our elders knew how and when to use a parable. They could use one parable in many situations depending on what they wanted to teach at the time of usage and whom they wanted to teach. If they were speaking on injustice, their approach would differ if they were speaking to the one being unfairly treated or the one unfairly treating the other. The lesson may be similar but different since both parties were on opposite sides of the coin. Precisely for these reasons, I am hesitant on attaching meanings. Yet, I am well aware that there are those who may need some background in our culture, our local setting or our language, before they can fully understand a parable. In these instances, some clarity is helpful. It is my hope that readers will keep in mind that they do not have to agree with the meaning/interpretation they come across. If they find a better way to understand the parable, then it is that they should go with. That right is one I would not presume to take away from the reader in this case. I believe the reader should retain the power to decide.