"A scoffer does not love one who reproves him, he will not go to the wise"
a scoffer
This is the person who is too proud to be corrected and who is derisive about any and every truth. Nothing is new, special, interesting, or surprising. It has all been tried before and is known to the proud scoffer. This is the person who always tries to appear outside of every discussion, sitting in judgment on it. Never do they want to get emotionally enmeshed in any discussion. Their desire is to pronounce the final word on each subject.
does not love one who reproves him
Since this person's basic foolishness is pride and superiority, they are unwilling to be excited or complementary to the person who corrects them or finds a flaw in their manner or argumentation.
he will not go to the wise
This person will not become honored and respected to a high degree. This person will not receive the other benefits of being wise. They refuse to learn; refuse to see or hear or entertain a new position other than the one they have already come to. The thing that the scoffer craves is denied them because they have sought to pretend they already have it. They have pretended that they are already wise and already are aware of every fact or angle or position or truth, so they are basically incapable of learning. They desperately want to be respected and superior and because they are willing to fake that they already have the desired superiority of knowledge and perspective, they can never really become superior. They constantly pretend that everyone respects them all the while they are being shunned and moved aside. It is the person who is willing to be corrected and welcomes new information that really is respected and honored.
Do not pretend to know something that you really don't know. Do not pretend that you know all there is to know about a subject, when there is always different perspectives and new points of view. Welcome correction to what you know, how you present it, and even different perspectives on what you know. It is then that you will be moving toward wisdom. And with true wisdom comes honor, respect, riches, and life.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz