| Understanding The History And Significance Of Wisdom |
| Written by Aaron Simms | |
| Monday, 19 July 2010 | |
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Wisdom means different things to different people. It also has different connotations from one culture to another. Generally speaking, it refers to the deep understanding of the why and how. It is usually gained by many years of life experience and studying the revelations of others. It involves using knowledge and perceptions relating to people, things, and life experiences to make appropriate choices when faced with a particular situation.
Wisdom means different things to different people. It also has different connotations from one culture to another. Generally speaking, it refers to the deep understanding of the why and how. It is usually gained by many years of life experience and studying the revelations of others. It involves using knowledge and perceptions relating to people, things, and life experiences to make appropriate choices when faced with a particular situation. The ancient Greeks referred to wisdom as a virtue. This virtue is synonymous with insight. In order to make a wise decision, one must be able to discern reason from emotions. Good decisions are attributed to the void of emotion and utilizing reason as the sole tool in making smart choices. Steady insight rather than a whirlwind of emotion is the basis of good choices. Sometimes situations arise and all the facts needed to make a wise decision are available. A smart person would be able to take the facts at hand, how little there may be, and come up with a solution. Aristotle thought that understanding why and how things exist was helpful in these situations. It was like putting a puzzle together. On the other hand, Freethinkers believed that intuition played a large role in contributing to helping to make right choices. They also thought that spirituality had a part in developing this virtue. Like Aristotle, some Freethinkers agreed with the idea that reason and experience were the backbone of wise decisions. Today, many people believe that it is taught for the most part. A person could be faced with a challenge and have several options to choose from as a resolution. This is done by comparing and contrasting what they have learned to experience and prior knowledge. A wise person would be able to look at all of the available choices and select the best one. Age and being wise are usually seen as being all in the same. Typically, the longer one lives, the wiser one is. This is not necessarily true because not everyone lives the same kind of life. It needs to be considered that people live different kinds of lives and are exposed to many different things. An old man who has been sheltered may not be as wise as the young man who has experienced much of the world. Wisdom and intellect are very closely related. It is a combination of experience, knowledge, perception, insight, and reason. The driving force behind making wise choices is to ensure that the decision being made is for the betterment of a situation. |
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