On the list of virtues one would love to have, wisdom should certainly top the chart. What is more enticing than to be called wise, to be able to dissect issues and find solutions, to anticipate troubles and be proactive and above all to comprehensively understand human psyche.
The path to wisdom is not as attractive as wisdom itself. Even if I am nowhere near it, I can certainly say why I am still a peeping Tom to this phenomenon. Till the time we concentrate on knowing others and search for mere things around us, the most we can be is Intelligent. But that is equally far from wisdom, the trick is probably to know ourselves first. As Carrie Latet mentioned “Wisdom is never on the menu, you have to own the restaurant”.
There is one more truth attached to this whole theory and it is the fact that even if you are wise, you will not be wise all the time. At times you will act like a damn fool; you only have to limit those instances. Even if that’s the case, wisdom outweighs wealth, status and power. So any means required in achieving it wouldn’t be uncalled for. In his Metaphysics, Aristotle defines wisdom as knowledge of causes: why things exist in a particular fashion.
Let’s formulate a strategy to be wise. The first thing is perhaps to know the inflexible truth that no one is wise by chance (read god gifts). It only comes after a series of slip-ups (read experiences). So the first step in the direction is to dare to be a fool and then learn ahead. The second step is to listen frequently and suppressing an urge to talk all the time. Believe me, people around us are smart enough, not dumb as many assume. The third stair is the principle of equanimity. It means to be composed in grief and happiness alike. It emphasizes logical bend of mind than emotional. The perfect balance of mind and the heart is the way forward to be wise. So lets try and sharpen our wisdom teeth, shall we?
