Personal Development Face-off Series – Round No.10 (Theme Wisdom)

QUESTION NO.1 – How will you define and explain this word—Wisdom?

Wisdom is one of those abstract concepts, an ideal, like freedom or leadership, that is difficult to universally define. 

Your definition is likely to be shaped by your own background, beliefs, values, and experiences. 

Personally, I like to consider myself a wisdom seeker, one who is on a journey to experience life fully.  So what exactly am I seeking?  All that is real, true, and meaningful in life… and a way to align my life with it. 

I see wisdom as an elegant tapestry woven of intuition, reason, observation, and experience.  With each thread, the picture becomes clearer, leading us to greater insight and understanding.  It becomes a roadmap of sorts, guiding our decisions, actions, and state of being. 

Wisdom is not something that can be collected, learned from a book, or even passed down from one person to another.  Wisdom is not a destination.  Rather, it’s the path we choose.  It’s examining our knowledge and experiences and consciously choosing how to live our lives.

Wisdom is knowing that you don’t know everything and that you don’t need to know everything or anything for that matter.

QUESTION NO.2 – Are some people naturally wiser than others by birth?

Like other aspects of personality, I think some people are naturally more intuitive and intelligent than others. 

Does that mean they are wiser? Not necessarily. I believe there is tremendous potential within each of us, just waiting to be tapped into.  It doesn’t take a genius to see and understand life’s simple truths. 

So what separates the intelligent from the wise?  The courage to align one’s self and actions with life’s simple truths. 

Look at some of the wisest men and women of our times and you will see that their messages are simple.  It is their ability to actually live them which makes them wise.

• "You must be the change you want to see in the world."—Mahatma Gandhi
• "Live simply so others may simply live."—Mother Teresa
• "If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live."—Martin Luther King, Jr. 
• "There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."— Nelson Mandela
• "It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself."—Eleanor Roosevelt
• "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."—Buddha
• "If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself."—Confucius

I don’t think so. Some may be more in tune with his/her own inner wisdom. But that’s a matter of awakening to, or uncovering what’s within.

QUESTION NO.3 – Do you think our current education system, teaches the wisdom that matters in real life, to our children?

No…at least not any education system I’ve been a part of. 

Don’t get me wrong… I have had some truly amazing teachers in my life, who have pointed me down the path of wisdom. 

In general, I think our education systems teach us how to be "successful."  What does that success look like?  Read books, cram information into your head, regurgitate it onto a piece of paper so you can get good grades, take standardized tests that will size you up against your peers, and continue doing that until you have another piece of paper that says you and smart and qualified enough to go out into the world and make money. 

If you do all of these things well, you can make enough money to buy a big house, a fancy car, and all sorts of stuff to show off just how successful you are.  Then you can have children and put them back into the same educational system, which will then teach them how to be as successful as you’ve become. 

Okay, is that a bit of an exaggeration?  Maybe. Maybe not.

Ideally, I think our education system should recognize that children learn in a variety of ways and allow them to do so. 

The system fails when it sees children as small vessels to be filled with knowledge.

When the teacher partners with a child, recognizing his or her unique talents and needs, that is when true learning happens. 

Children should be allowed and encouraged to read, explore, practice, play, experiment, and yes—fail. 

Sure, I’ve had some useful information poured into my head, and I suppose I wouldn’t be, where I am today, without that.  Still, my greatest life lessons have come from my own experiences out in the world, and not from those behind a desk.

The best thing the education system can do right now is to educate less and allow more freedom to be and question.

Personally, I don’t think you can teach wisdom. We can however, teach kids how to live with a light heart and an open mind.

This is the road to the wisdom within.

QUESTION NO.4 – Is it more important to be streetwise or spiritually wise? Is there any relationship between the two?

I see being "streetwise" as a way to survive in the world.  But by seeking spiritual wisdom—that is how we thrive.

Whatever happens to come first, organically and with ease, will lead to the other and all kinds of wisdom—emotional, mental and so on.

It’s like a chicken and egg situation. Doesn’t matter what comes first. The start is what matters.

QUESTION NO.5 – What would you consider the opposite of wisdom?

Folly.  Foolishness.

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."—William Shakespeare

The dictionary says foolishness, stupidity and ignorance.

I say lack of awareness of the knowledge within.

QUESTION NO.6 – Are there any techniques that we can use, to train our minds to become wiser?

Well, I can’t say for certain, but I’ll tell you what I’m trying! 

• Get to know yourself. Love yourself. Be yourself. 
• Be present. Practice mindfulness and conscious living. 
• Give yourself to your relationships, to meaningful work, and to something greater than yourself.
• Be healthy physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.
• Be prepared for opportunities. Be deliberate in your thoughts, aspirations, and actions. 
• Share good stories. Learn from others, especially those who you consider to be wise.
• Be open to possibilities.  Challenge your thoughts and beliefs. Keep an open heart and mind.
• Have adventures! You must have experiences in order to learn from them.
• Learn to let go of the negative thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that are holding you back.

To be able to tame the monkey mind is a great tool to cultivate wisdom.

The best way is to learn to be still—become more aware of the thoughts as they cross your mind. 

Meditation, reflection and free writing are great tools.

Also, give the monkey mind a banana or two. Allow the mind to wander freely, every now and then, and have fun with it. This can unleash valuable insights.

QUESTION NO.7 – What do you think is the wisest decision you made, in your own life, and how it shaped your life?

Hmm, you’ve really had me thinking with this one!  I really can’t say.  I think I’ve made some pretty good choices in my life, and I’ve also made some really stupid ones.  In the end, all of those choices have led me to where I am today.  And, I have to say, this is a pretty good place to be. 

But, if I had to choose, I would say it was the decision to surround myself with wise people and other wisdom seekers. 

I’m not sure it was a conscious decision at first, it’s just been the way I live my life, and I’d say it has served me very well.  I have faith that it will continue to do so. Be wise. Live life!

Quitting a career as a Chartered Accountant and venturing out on my own, not knowing what to do next.

This decision helped me in so many ways but the top two things are:

• Okay nudity alert!  A naked ego— freedom. I felt free from all the labels and expectations that come with a profession. I no longer identified with what I did as part of who I am.
• Questioning the validity of assumptions that were instilled in us as children. We don’t have to know what we’re doing next and we don’t have to have our life mapped out. We need to trust more that things do work out when we open our hearts and allow the universe to help us.