WISDOM VS. FOOLISHNESS
Seeing and responding to life situations from a perspective that transcends my current circumstances

We derive our current word wisdom from the Anglo-Saxon root word wis ("wise; understanding truth; knowing") and the termination -dom ("judgment").

Wisdom is not mere intelligence. It combines an understanding of truth with the good judgment to apply it. Wisdom is not just information - it is application.

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "We must act with wisdom, or else our adherence to right will be mere sound without substance." Our study of character is worthless if it is merely head knowledge. Wisdom must be rooted in an unwavering commitment to truth applied practically in life.

wis·dom n 1: making the best use of knowledge, experience, and understanding 2: learning; erudition 3: good judgment; sagacity

Wisdom is the ability to see one's circumstances objectively and clearly. By objectively, we mean that wisdom is the ability to see life from a perspective bigger than oneself: wisdom is the ability to "stand above" circumstances and see the true nature of one's surroundings. Wisdom is also the ability to see clearly: to have a clear understanding of one's circumstances in order to be able to explain them and identify solutions to problems.

MORE THAN EDUCATION
Classroom education is designed to build knowledge; building wisdom requires more than education. Because wisdom involves the discerning application of insight, it is developed "in the field"-not just from books.

The classroom is designed to equip a person with information. When a person accumulates information, he gains knowledge. When a person comprehends and relates various pieces of information, he develops understanding. Both can be accomplished in the classroom.

Wisdom results when a person finds and makes practical application of the knowledge she has acquired and the understanding she has discovered. Wisdom is more than book learning. Wisdom is knowledge and understanding that have been matured by experience.

GAIN THE PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE EXPERIENCE
"Wisdom cries out in the streets."

King Solomon, one of the wisest sages of the ancient world, emphasized the nearness of wisdom in his definitive Book of Proverbs. For Solomon, wisdom was not an abstract intelligence accessible only to the highly educated. The lessons of wisdom are all around us in nature and society. The wise person is one who takes note of the wisdom taught in daily experience.

One of Solomon's best known examples is the ant. He wrote, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."

The ant is far more than a simple pest to be brushed aside at a picnic. Solomon showed that wisdom can be gained by observing the ant. In particular, the ant teaches the value of diligence in good times in order to have resources available in lean times - a lesson spoken by the ant only to those with the wisdom to stop and listen.

Solomon also points to other natural phenomena as teaching principles of wisdom, such as the water cycle. Even in ancient times, the cyclical processes of evaporation, rainfall, rivers, and oceans were understood. Based on this observation of the natural world, Solomon drew the following lesson: "The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." The rainfall is not just water for the ground; it is also a lesson for us that generosity extended will eventually be generosity received.

Not only does the natural world teach wisdom, but so also do the experiences of human society. Observing the voice of wisdom in community affairs, Solomon makes observations such as the following:

• "He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding." Material provision (and satisfaction with it) are the result of diligent work.
  
  
• "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." It is not simply a matter of what is said but how it is said. A response given gently avoids an argument, but a reply made harshly is certain to start a fight.
  
  
• "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." The one who thinks he is too wise to need instruction is a fool; the one who is humble enough to take advice is wise.

Such principles are, on the one hand, extremely simple - even common sense. Yet they are profound truths that the foolish either fail to recognize or, recognizing, fail to apply.

Wisdom is not an elusive genius that is out of reach or hard to attain. Wisdom is taught in the phenomena of the natural world and the experiences of human society all around us. "Wisdom cries out in the streets." But her voice will be heard only by those who give attention.

WISDOM ON THE JOB
Wisdom is not "out there somewhere" It is right under your nose. It is right before your eyes. It is around you every day, following you, ahead of you, shouting in your ear trying to get your attention.

To learn wisdom is to take notice of the lessons of everyday life. The "rat race" of modern business - its demand for time and energy - often leaves one too tired to think about a tiny ant or the water cycle. There is so much to be gleaned, however, from observation. Determine to make time to take notice of what is happening all around you and to recognize life lessons.

WISDOM WITH BALANCE
Many voices speak from the street corners of life. Wisdom is not alone. The examples of the foolish also beckon you. Thus wisdom must he exercised in close company with discernment, "understanding the deeper reasons why things happen."

Many appliances and tools have warning labels on them such as not to immerse an electrical cord in water, not to put anything under a lawn mower blade when the mower is running, or not to iron your clothes while you are wearing them. While many of these warnings seem like statements of the obvious, failure to heed these warnings can result in serious injury.

It takes discernment to determine the difference between the voice of wisdom and the voice of fantasy. The voice of fantasy is the imposition of what one wants to see in life. We want a certain philosophy or practice to be proven right, so we subconsciously read it into the lessons of life.

Wisdom often speaks with a voice of reproof and correction, which we do not like to hear. The lessons of life are often corrective in nature. It is in the face of such reproofs that we are more naturally inclined to "soften" the lesson or impose a more appealing interpretation on events. Rather than facing up to the reproofs of life, a person's first inclination is to shape a more favorable meaning of these experiences.

It takes discernment to differentiate between the maturing reproofs of life and those conclusions that are subtly devised by our own hearts.

WISDOM AT HOME
One way to help your children develop the perspective of wisdom is by teaching them how to use analogies. An analogy is a comparison between two relationships, for example:
cat : mouse :: bird : worm
(to be read "cat is to mouse as bird is to worm")

THINK WISDOM 1. What did Solomon mean when he wrote, "Wisdom cries out in the streets"? 2. Talk about the experiences of the past week. What lessons of wisdom can you draw from what you have seen or experienced recently? “He that walks with wise men shall be wise” - Solomon

In the same way the cat relates to the mouse, the bird relates to the worm. This is the pattern King Solomon used for many of his insights (e.g., the ant and its work teach us something about the relationship between people and their work). See if you can locate analogy puzzles at your library or on the Internet to use with your children.

Character definitions and information used by permission. Copyright Character Training Institute. www.characterfirst.com

Comment on this article