Wisdom |
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In its minimalist sense, wisdom is simply the ability and inclination to make choices that stand the sense of time. To say that a choice was wise implies that the action or inaction was strategically correct when judged by some set of values. In this sense, if a decision was, in retrospect, very smart, it was wise.
Another formulation along these lines is that wisdom is "Making the best use of available knowledge." However, in a deeper sense, wisdom connotes an enlightened perspective and/or effective support for the long-term common good. Insights and acts that are widely considered wise tend to • arise from a broad (not narrow-minded) perspective, • serve life in some broad or deep way (not just narrow self-interest) • be grounded in but not limited by the past (experience, history, etc.) and the future (likely consequences) • be informed by multiple forms of intelligence -- reason, intuition, heart, spirit, etc.. Because of its expanded perspective, wisdom is also often associated with humility, compassion[?], composure[?], humor, and a tolerance for dissonance, paradox, nuance[?], ambiguity, uncertainty, etc. In its most universal and useful forms, wisdom tends to sense, work with and align people to the intrinsic wholeness and interconnectedness[?] of life. As with all decisions, a wise decision is made from incomplete information. But in a wise decision the chooser possesses a sense of the way that situations usually turn out and, in its deeper forms, a desire for the outcome to be broadly beneficial. Classically, wisdom is considered to come with age. In some religions, wisdom is considered a gift granted by God. A wise person is often called a "sage." See also |
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