Eccl. 7:6-12

v. 6-12
"Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of fools.  This too is meaningless.
Extortion turns a wise man into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resided in the lap of fools.
Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.
Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor."

Corruption and bribes seem to be running rampant in our society.  All through out history this has been the case, some places and times were worse than others.  Many of our leaders tend to be in the spotlight for getting caught on this destructive path.  It's no wonder that the approval rating for our government leadership has taken such a nose dive.  I am thinking that this is the case in other countries as well.  Both sides are guilty, not many seem to be immune from the temptation.  There are probably some very good leaders, we just hear about the bad ones on the news. 

We should not be provoked to fight a pointless battle.  Recently there have been two people (a governor and a senator) who are fighting in the media.  Every time there is another comment the other one makes sure that they are heard.  They are with same political party, this party has been attacking itself.  We know what happens when something divides itself, it can not stand.  These are grown men who are acting like children.  There does not appear to be many who want to take the high road.

We should not dwell in the past.  Each generation has good and bad points.  We should not be looking back and wondering what happened to the good ole days.  These verses show a difference between wisdom and money.  They are both a shelter, but with wisdom it will preserve you.  For some money will destroy them.  I would rather be rich with wisdom than poor (in spirit) with money.