Wisdom Begins in Wonder
Originally Published: July 12, 2014
Have you ever wondered how the wise get wise? Obviously they didn't become wise overnight, or did they?
I started to wonder about the wise as I thought about how my grandparents and even my parents seem to know the most interesting things about almost every topic. And if they don't know a specific fact, they have a story about it. This wisdom has to come from somewhere, doesn't it?
Hmmm, so let's create a flow chart.
Wisdom <-- Knowledge <-- Learning <-- Facts <-- White Noise
Everything begins with a little white noise, the static that we can hear when your surroundings are silent. All thought starts here, the beginning.
Then the brain notices data which leads to the creation of facts. The sky is blue. The grass is green.
After facts are known, you learn that the grass is green because of the pigment, chlorophyll, which is essential for capturing light used for photosynthesis.
Knowledge comes from understanding that the grass is green, why the grass is green, and being able to understand even further. Chlorophyll itself is not green. It absorbs all colors except green. That is why it reflects green light and why the grass appears green.
Wisdom comes from understanding and being able to communicate your knowledge with yourself and others. This ladder must be followed in order to fully understand any concept.
Wisdom in life is not always as straight forward as the grass being green. Eternal wisdom takes struggle, failure, and trials in order to conquer it. It is true, however, that some people definitely have more wisdom that others. For example, you people that got your wisdom teeth out, sorry, you lost some with those teeth, but you also gained some by going through that horrible experience and living as a chipmunk for a couple days.
I have learned, and I now have knowledge that wisdom can be gained in a variety of ways. Three have stuck in my mind, and I am sharing it with you.
3 ways we can gain wisdom
1. Reflection... how noble
2. Imitiation... how easy
3. Experience... how bitter
By also having the compassion, understanding, and love to...
Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.
And always (my motto)...
Never fear failure. Always act as if it is impossible to fail, and you never will.
Happiness comes from feeling good about yourself without feeling the need for anyone else's approval. Some people will try to expose what's wrong with you, because they can't handle what's right about you. The wisest people can understand and have the courage to admit they are wrong.
Most importantly, nothing ever goes away until it teaches you what you need to know. Listen to it. Once you learn, have the knowledge and the courage to share it with others. If you needed it, chances are someone else does, too.
Go, enjoy this beautiful July Saturday. Remember that wisdom comes not only from living, but learning while enjoying life. You were sure born an original, use your wisdom to not die a copy.
-Happiness in Handfulls
