I’ve mentioned I am a wise-elder-in-training -- mostly to avoid the alternative, which is to graduate from being a ridiculous middle-aged man to become an old fool. If I become a wise elder – “I would not be just a nuthin' my head all full of stuffin' My heart all full of pain. With the thoughts I'd be thinkin' I could be another Lincoln. If I only had a brain.”
But what is wisdom, exactly? You know it when you see it but it’s hard to define. It’s more than intelligence or knowledge. It includes experience and perspective. There is optimism that life’s problems can be solved. A sense of calm in trying times. And yet taking feelings into account. And speaking clearly.
"To understand wisdom fully and correctly probably requires more wisdom than any of us have." -- Robert J. Sternberg
"But thinking about wisdom nudges us closer to the thing itself." -- Stephen S. Hall
So my idea is thinking and studying about wisdom -- intentionally -- might help me to get some wisdom.
One way to think about wisdom is to consider examples of people with a reputation for being wise. People like Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King. Three people that come to mind from ancient times are Socrates, the Buddha, and Confucius. All 3 came from the Axial Age 800-200BC.
The Axial Age is a period when great intellectual, philosophical, and religious systems emerged around the world. The phrase – The Axial Age -- originated with Karl Jaspers, a German psychiatrist and philosopher, who noticed that during this period there was a shift—or a turn, as if on an axis—away from local, tribal concerns and toward thinking about the cosmos and the way it works. It was a turn away from merely “feeding the gods” and toward speculation about the fate of humanity, about our relationship with the cosmos, about “The Good” and how people can be “good.”
Jaspers said the Axial Age occurred in 800 BCE to 200 BCE. Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius lived within this period but did not live at the same time or place. The extent to which they exchanged ideas is unknown. It appears their ideas emerged independently at their axis point and then the ideas radiated around the world. They survived the test of time and we still talk about them today.
Socrates (470-399BC) was a Greek philosopher who never put anything in writing. His dialogues were recorded by his student Plato and others. Socrates is famous for asking lots of questions – what we now call the Socratic Method. He was a gadfly who became so annoying that he was found guilty of corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and for not believing in the gods of the state. Despite all his wisdom, he was sentenced to death by drinking poison hemlock. Some words of wisdom from Socrates:
"...I am wiser than he is to this small extent, that I do not think that I know what I do not know."
In his dialog with Euthyphro, Socrates said, “Is the holy loved by the gods because it is holy, or holy because it is loved by the gods?” Euthyphro turned and said, “Wait, what?” You had to be on your toes with Socrates. He was not above intentionally confusing you into making a contradiction in your argument. But then he would thank you for the conversation and reassure you by saying, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
The Buddha (566 – 487BC) was originally Siddhartha Gautama, the son of a king in Nepal near India. At the age of 29 he left his kingdom, wife, son, and wealth and walked out into the woods to live a simple life of fasting and contemplation. After 6 years of that he re-emerged from the woods enlightened -- recommending people follow a path of balance rather than extreme wealth or austerity. He called it the Middle Way. Some of his famous quotes were:
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – which sounds familiar if you’ve ever tried mediation.
Another was: “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.”
Confucius (551-479BC) was a Chinese teacher, writer, editor, politician, and philosopher known for his words of wisdom and ethical models of family and public social life. Late in life he had trouble holding down a job. Even so, he wandered around China giving practical advice, like:
Confucius Say: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Confucius Say: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
Confucius Say: “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself" This one is sometimes called the Silver Rule, because it is like Golden Rule, but in negative form.
All these quotes are attributed to Socrates, the Buddha, or Confucius. But there’s a chance they never really said them. Take these for example:
Confucius Say: “Man make mistake on elevator wrong on many levels.”
Confucius Say: “Virginity like bubble: one prick, all gone.”
Confucius Say: “Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”
I saw this last one at the Tomato Festival in East Nashville. It really sums up the essence of wisdom. At least the kind of wisdom I am going for. And does humor have a place in wisdom? I think so, if it’s not at someone’s expense.
What do you think? Am I on my way towards becoming a wise elder? Please, give me some feedback to help me on my journey.
