Throughout the ages wisdom has been considered a valuable resource; a resource that guarantees a good life. We talk about being wise with money, striving for wisdom, and taking advice from wise people. But what is wisdom?
The goal here is not to get into a deep philosophical analysis or a psychological debate. Rather, I hope to define wisdom in practical, applicable terms.
Some will say wisdom is knowledge and others will say wisdom is the application of knowledge. Some will say wisdom comes from deep thought, and others will say wisdom comes with experience. I believe wisdom is the application of carefully considered knowledge based on facts and one’s own experience or the experience of others’. Wisdom is intentional.
Wisdom requires knowledge, but that knowledge needs to be knowledge of fact, not swayed by emotion. Knowledge is not assumption, presumption, or accumulated data. Knowledge, alone is not wisdom. Many people collect a great deal of knowledge. Some horde it greedily, never sharing it. Others seem to build a barrier between the storage of knowledge and the use of it.
Experience is certainly a contributor to wisdom if the impact of the experience is considered and lessons are learned from it. Experience can produce knowledge, but many go through experiences and learn nothing because they see the experience as a negative event or toil, rather than an opportunity to learn. These are people who consider themselves victims of life. People can be extremely experienced, yet have no wisdom. Some will take their experience and learn processes or techniques, yet never be able to apply that knowledge to other circumstances.
Thought is required to move knowledge to a deeper level, to break it apart, to consider it in relation to other situations, and to evaluate the potential outcome. This thought process produces wisdom which can be expressed or applied. Applied wisdom is powerful because it has a positive effect and produces healthy outcomes. Wisdom exhibits itself in the form of discernment, self-control, right attitude, sound judgment, self-denial and healthy relationships. It’s the ultimate goal in decision-making and action.
So how do we measure wisdom? When you face a decision ask yourself these things:
Sometimes making a wise choice is hard, because it makes life more challenging for ourselves or for other people. Wisdom doesn’t guarantee easy situations or a perfect life, but from every experience we have the opportunity to mature in our attitudes and perspectives. This greatly increases the chance of making more productive and more valuable decisions in the future. So the question to ask yourself is this: Am I making choices that make me feel good in the here and now, or am I making choices that will positively impact the future, for me and for others?
