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Yesterday I wondered about What it means to be wise? I’m still wondering. . . . I’ve been wondering about that most of my life.
“I came to this city a brave and broken girl,
determined to search the world
for some kind of wisdom. . . .” –Christine Kane
Christine searched the world. So did I.
Pamir quoted that the “Tao that can be spoken of is not the Tao.” Wisdom lives deeper than words. I try the idea on for size. Every cell of me agrees.
Aruni said, “Wisdom is a never ending journey fraught with joys, pains, ups and downs because without those experiences they cannot connect and share with others.” How loudly this resonates. When folks have called me wise, it has been when our spirits have met around an experience — our minds merely translated for us.
So it seems, when people use the word wisdom, it has had little to do with intelligence and everything to do with humanity.
Wise folks I know are intelligent hearts. They are not part-time wise. They never forget the people involved when they look at the bottom line. I feel wide open trust when I think about them. It’s a soft smile to recall their faces.
I searched for another words to describe what I meant — acumen, astuteness, balance, brains*, caution, circumspection, clear thinking, common sense, comprehension, discernment, discrimination, enlightenment, erudition, experience, foresight, good judgment, gumption*, horse sense*, information, intelligence, judgment, judiciousness, knowledge, learning, pansophy, penetration, perspicacity, poise, practicality, prudence, reason, sagacity, sageness, sanity, sapience, savoir faire, savvy*, shrewdness, solidity, sophistication, stability, understanding –Thesaurus. com
Not a one is worthy of the people I call wise.
Maybe wisdom defined is unconditional love and understanding.
Imagine if we aspired to be wisdom defined.
We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Unconditional love and understanding. Yes. In particular, the latter. Being able to appreciate a situation and the people in it really does seem to define wisdom.
Hi Mike!
Understanding is such a big part — standing under — giving the other guy a place equal or above doesn’t hurt. 🙂
Thanks for the mention. You’re right on about heart wisdom & humanity. Wisdom is broad. I think we find it in the everyday & community. There’s folk wisdom & the wisdom of life experience.
Then there’s the wisdom of the ages, if you will. That’s about knowing your true nature. It’s an interesting thing about spirituality and/or wisdom in this case: living a human life itself is spiritual, and there are ways to develop the insight of wisdom. For me, speaking of wisdom without meditation is not really possible.
Life wisdom comes at a price…spiritual wisdom is priceless.
Hi Pamir!
You say so much in that comment. I especially feel that last sentence.
Thanks for the mention. Liz I am now wondering if there is not some cosmic connection going on here. When I have read your latest posts I am touched and my eyes get a bit watery. I remember feeling this when I met with Betty Sue Flowers (here at UT, co-writer/editor of Synchronicity and Power of Myth) to discuss with her my writing project on the Meaning of Life. I couldn’t get many people to talk to me about the MOL but I could get them to talk to me about The Meaning of Success. Hence: http://www.entrepremusings.com/index.php/articles/.
Anyway, when I explained to her what I was trying to do and I could stop my eyes from watering she said something like that meant I was following a path that touches my soul…where true passion lies. I haven’t spoken to her often since because of her schedule and because I changed focus. I started a company but the goal of my company is to help people (new parents), at a time that can be so stressful, to find their flow and sync with their baby.
Anyway, I digress. I have what I think might be a ‘change the world’ post that I’m saving for Blog Action Day with regards to the environment. I saw from Lorelle at WordPress blog that Oct 15 is Blog Action Day for the environment and I look forward to participating.
Oh Aruni!
How it fills me with wonder that here where we only meet with our minds we can touch each other in such important ways. I am overjoyed and at that same time humbled by the lovely thought of humanity living up o its potential. Sometimes we really do shine like the stars.