On Mining and Wisdom

With the negative impact of mining on the environment and on the livelihoods of the inhabitants near the mining site, it is not surprising that #NoToMining was trending on Twitter in the Philippines. I wonder how this issue will affect the mining stocks. I wonder what Tim Sykes, a trader, will say about that.


While reading the Bible, I stumbled upon a chapter in Job about mining and wisdom. The timing was perfect since the news and Twitter were abuzz with the issue on mining. I will paste all of it here so that we could all gather insights.

Job 28 (NIV) 

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found 

 ¹ There is a mine for silver 

   and a place where gold is refined. 

² Iron is taken from the earth, 

   and copper is smelted from ore. 

³ Mortals put an end to the darkness; 

   they search out the farthest recesses 

   for ore in the blackest darkness. 

⁴ Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft, 

   in places untouched by human feet; 

   far from other people they dangle and sway. 

⁵ The earth, from which food comes, 

   is transformed below as by fire; 

⁶ lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, 

   and its dust contains nuggets of gold. 

⁷ No bird of prey knows that hidden path, 

   no falcon’s eye has seen it. 

⁸ Proud beasts do not set foot on it, 

   and no lion prowls there. 

⁹ People assault the flinty rock with their hands 

   and lay bare the roots of the mountains. 

¹⁰ They tunnel through the rock; 

   their eyes see all its treasures. 

¹¹ They search^[a] the sources of the rivers 

   and bring hidden things to light.

 ¹² But where can wisdom be found? 

   Where does understanding dwell? 

¹³ No mortal comprehends its worth; 

   it cannot be found in the land of the living. 

¹⁴ The deep says, “It is not in me”; 

   the sea says, “It is not with me.” 

¹⁵ It cannot be bought with the finest gold, 

   nor can its price be weighed out in silver. 

¹⁶ It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, 

   with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. 

¹⁷ Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, 

   nor can it be had for jewels of gold. 

¹⁸ Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; 

   the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. 

¹⁹ The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; 

   it cannot be bought with pure gold.

 ²⁰ Where then does wisdom come from? 

   Where does understanding dwell? 

²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, 

   concealed even from the birds in the sky. 

²² Destruction^[b] and Death say, 

   “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.” 

²³ God understands the way to it 

   and he alone knows where it dwells, 

²⁴ for he views the ends of the earth 

   and sees everything under the heavens. 

²⁵ When he established the force of the wind 

   and measured out the waters, 

²⁶ when he made a decree for the rain 

   and a path for the thunderstorm, 

²⁷ then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; 

   he confirmed it and tested it. 

²⁸ And he said to the human race, 

   “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, 

   and to shun evil is understanding.”

As a wife and mom, I always ask God to grant me wisdom and understanding. Running a household and raising wonderful little human beings do require a lot of wisdom. This wifely and motherly wisdom comes only from Him. How does this wisdom manifest? 

• It's in the instinct I feel deep within me, which leads me to make right decisions.
• It's the application of my knowledge to situations where it's needed.
• It's saying the correct words at the perfect time when talking with my children.

This doesn't make me a perfect wife and mother. It is God's perfect way shining through my imperfections. My journey down this road of being a wife and mother is still very long and I have so much more to learn. After all, I've been a wife for just five years and a mommy for just four. I know I would need more of God's guidance when the children get older and more assertive.