Do you ponder the difference between knowledge and wisdom? I have for many years. I remember hearing my Dad say, "He is an educated fool" and thinking how can that be. In my young years, I thought if you were educated that meant you are wise. As in lots of areas of my life, I have found that to be inaccurate. While some who seek knowledge will awaken wisdom in their search others will become the "educated fool".
Karen Follett states that we read to gain knowledge but we have to seek wisdom.
However, I find Ardriana Cahill's rendition somewhat more suited to my taste. So with that in mind I will use some of her writings mixed with my own conclusions.
Knowledge is but the messenger that calls us to wisdom, but it is not wisdom. Knowledge puts us in the way of wisdom, but wisdom is experiential; it is a truth one recognizes in the external world that already exists in the internal one. One doesn't "learn" wisdom, one must awaken it. Knowledge gives us the tools but we must never mistake the tools for the treasure. Unfortunately there are no fast-food outlets for wisdom.
Knowledge is intellectual - wisdom is divine. The more you seek knowledge (all knowledge) the more wisdom you will experience (hopefully).
Supposedly knowledge and wisdom use two completely different organs to communicate with us. One is known the other felt. The divine speaks to us through spirit not the mind. Knowledge is only the doorway to wisdom.
Wisdom reveals itself to you - it does not explain itself- it reveals itself fully blown like manna from heaven. It awakens us with an all encompassing flood of warm illumination. This is why the sages call it enlightenment. Wisdom does not need digesting, deliberating, debating or dissecting by doubt or reason. It breathes within you as calm surety and perfect peace.
In summation, there is wisdom in Nature and knowledge in Scholarship. Nature teaches us what works and doesn't work. Knowledge teaches us how to use our senses, how to observe nature, how to evaluate, it, how to record life lessons and how others before us did the same. We first develop wisdom in life by experience, (usually painful experience) and then as we grow, we recognize wisdom in life by example. Through knowledge and wisdom, we eliminate fear. We begin to understand who we are and why we are here. We recognize with generosity, others stumbling while seeking their way and develop a keen awareness and love for the mirace that is all Life - and that includes oneself. Now for the hard part, hopefully we will have enough generosity to be loving and forgiving when others hurt us. Maybe instead of consuming energy being upset and hurt that we use that energy to seek more compassion and understanding. Easier said than done, right?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I'm not really qualified to comment on this, I have so very little of either; but I enjoyed thinking about it this morning, thanks Marbella!
I've heard it said that we can learn knowledge from another's knowledge, but we can't learn wisdom from their wisdom. I hope this is untrue, because one of the touchstones for my own understanding of wisdom comes from this quote from Lao Tzu...
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.
If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.
-Tao Te Ching
[And I think I would tweak that last line:
If you realize that you have enough, and that you are enough, you are truly rich.
]
And one that reminds me of your touchstone is:
"Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom."
5 But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting:
The easy fix to that problem.
But I like the inference that a fruit yielded by wisdom is compassion. I believe that. Its much easier to be compassionate towards others when a person looks at them thru wise eyes. Its hard for me to image a person being both wise and impatient.
I have reached a point in my life that I find puzzling. I now have the ability to hide my own Easter Eggs, and the wisdom to enjoy the hunt as if it were the first time. Yep, a lot can be said for aging. Some people, such as myself, become opiniated at an early age, and I nutured this opinionation all my life. As one gets older, our opinions don't seem to matter as much, and our tolerance starts kicking in. A whole world has now opened up and I found out that the daily struggle to express my opinions has gone and along with it went anxiety, selfishness, despair, agitation, stress and hypertension. Ask me my opinion and I will try to give you a knowledgable answer. An old saying goes, " opinions are like rear ends, everyone has one". My rear end is almost non existant as well as my negative opinions.
Post a Comment