Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The Past Meanings Of Wisdom

By Aaron Simms

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.

Freethinkers, on the other hand, believed that intuition played a large part in the development of this virtue. They also attributed spirituality to it as well. But like Aristotle, Freethinkers also understood that life experience and reason were the basis of it all.

These days, it is seen as something that is taught as well. There is so much that the past can teach and together with ones own prior knowledge and life experiences, wiser decisions can be made. A person can be faced with a challenge and have several options to choose from. A smart resolution comes from looking at all of the available options and choosing the one that leads to the best resolution.

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.

Experience, knowledge, perception, insight, and reason are the basis of wisdom. With these also comes intellect. As long as choices are made for the better of a person or a situation, they can be thought of as wise decisions.

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