Wednesday Evening | Wisdom

Today, I am not doing any work. I will just write about my musings about wisdom instead. But wait. Let's define it first.

What is wisdom?

Wisdom implies having sound judgment and common sense that leads to making intelligent, sensible decisions. Another word for it is sapience.

Now, for the thought dump…

Does wisdom come with age? Certainly not.

Well, it does for some people, but that is not the case for all.

Someone can be 16 years old and be very discerning, while a man can be in his forties and remain ignorant of the consequences of one’s actions or inactions. There are other factors that play a role in developing wisdom other than age; these include social circles, home environment, and human interaction.

It’s not about knowing everything

“A wise man never knows all, only fools know everything”- African Proverb

There will always be something new to learn, and a wise man, no matter how skilled or experienced, knows that. The moment you think and act like you know everything, you’re doomed. That will close your mind to learning and seeing situations from others’ perspectives.

Learning is a lifelong process.

It's different from intelligence

Intelligence is an amazing trait associated with academic ability, logical thinking, or abstract reasoning. But I think what makes it different from wisdom is that with the latter, there’s more discernment and understanding of human nature.

It comes from real-world experience

It is through our experiences that we learn to understand things on a deeper level. We gain wisdom from openness to experience. It comes from moments of pain, pleasure, defeat, and victory. One does not gain wisdom from playing safe. We realize it by being aware of ourselves, questioning our judgments, learning from the people around us, and adapting to different environments.

What else?

I don’t know. You tell me. Feel free to share your thoughts. Anyhow, that’s all I have for this evening.

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