An Open-Minded Woman

   The wise woman builds her house, 
   But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
                                                      --Proverbs 14:1

The word foolish is connected with several ideas in the Proverbs: lack of discernment, empty-headedness, lack of discretion, and naiveté.

The woman described here does not take care of her house, that is, her household. She shames her children and her husband by her behavior. She lacks self-control in her speech: gossip, busybody, talebearer. She is a procrastinator. She is filled with indecision because she lacks wisdom. She is primarily interested in herself. Things must always go her way. She is the opposite of the industrious woman of good character in Proverbs 31.

Foolishness is the result of being naïve or simple minded. You might say that she is open-minded but in a negative sense; gullible. She cannot discern situations properly and often wanders in the wrong direction making poor decisions.

   The naïve inherit folly,
   But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
                                                   --Proverbs 14:18

The ‘foolish’ woman is not foolish because she tears her house down; that is the result. She destroys her house with her own hands because she is foolish.

Be wise . . . and build.