On Wisdom...

 

   It is a word we use frequently: wisdom.  Much of the time we are plugging it into sentences where it has a more or less warped meaning, i.e. "Don't be such a wise guy." Or some such phrase that alludes to the quality of wisdom, but in a peripheral manner.

  So, let's take a look at Wisdom.  What is it, really?  And, why is it mis-used or intentionally perverted  so often? 

  The working definition of wisdom relies entirely on the word 'wise'.  Okay, so what does that mean?  Well, the dictionary I use gives the following: "having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgement, or discretion". And that immediately puts us in search of what it really means instead of settling for a bunch of synonyms.  

  'Wisdom', is a quality that some human beings naturally exhibit, while others seem totally devoid of it. It is one of those things in life that you know better by experiencing it than by any verbal description.  Yes, "...you know it when you see it."  But, let's take a closer look at it and at least try to pin it down for those who don't feel they have ever directly been in the presence of great wisdom.

  In my own life, I have been extremely fortunate to have been in the presence of multiple individuals who exhibit wisdom in many different ways. There is one thing, however, that these various forms of wisdom all have in common: they all incorporate compassion in one way or another.  Compassion, as I have expressed here previously--but not for some while, it seems--is a sensitivity to the pain and suffering of others.  A truly compassionate person feels the pain despite the fact that it is not their own. On some level, they are volunteering to help carry another's load.  A compassionate person has little tolerance for people who are intent on inflicting pain on others, whether it is mental, emotional, or physical pain.  The stark opposite of this is a form of dysfunction in which the person has no ability to feel, or even sympathize with, another's pain.  Perhaps the word 'dispassionate' can be applied here. They may see the suffering that is happening, but because it doesn't directly affect them, they dismiss it as irrelevant.  Trump does this all the time.  He asked Gen. Milley why he couldn't just use the military to shoot the BLM protestors after George Floyd was murdered.  Now, that's harsh, eh.

  It is said that Frederic Nietzsche came across a carriage driver who was whipping one of his horses savagely.  It apparently was more than he could bear and instigated a break-down that landed him in an institution.  I have no way of knowing if this is true or not, but it is meant to illustrate that the man who wrote extensively about the superiority of the Ubermensch was not merely a cold and unfeeling philosopher. 

  Among the truly wise souls that I have known, one thing that they all share is this abundance of compassion. They are able to understand what other people are feeling at any particular moment in time, and this allows them to offer support and even comfort to a person who is struggling with a challenge or just life in general.   A wise person sees both sides of a situation in a glance.  Their only agenda is to ease the suffering of people who come to them for advice and encouragement.  Such souls don't seem to have a personal agenda.  They are secure in themselves to a degree that liberates them to have opinions based on facts, observed realities and other peoples' feelings.

  This is much different than a person who filters every little thing through the perverse inclinations of their ego.  I hate to bring the Idiot into the discussion repeatedly, but he's too perfect as an example of what happens when a person is the opposite of wise.  Amazingly, Donald J. Trump is considered wise...I imagine...by the Kool Aids who are not at all bothered by his bald-faced dishonesty, selfishness, avarice, sadism and the crude and rude package that is the man at the tip of the spear that now threatens the further existence of American democracy.  No doubt this says as much about these people as it does the Idiot himself.  If you sign-on to give your vociferous support to an asshole....you are almost certainly a card-carrying one yourself.  Are you listening out there in Trumpland?  You become what you give your fealty to.

a bully at work.....wisdom nowhere in sight

  It does little to point out what a miserable excuse for a human being he is.  Either you can clearly see that he is a stunning collection of human shortcomings....all wrapped in a vain and arrogant man who is actually proud of being so despicable....or you cannot.  The other dominant quality that wise people seem to have in abundance is a willingness to put themselves last.  There is a built-in service ethic that makes them want to help even people they are not personally acquainted with.  A common descriptor, at least here in New England, goes: "Old Bob was a good man....give ya the shirt off his back if he saw that you needed it."  

  People who go through life pursuing selfish goals are almost never also wise people, and very often they are unkind and even cruel to those whom they perceive as standing in their way.  It rarely happens that a wise and kind person becomes a national leader. The qualities needed in the political arena are more those of a gladiator than a saint, so it would be hugely unlikely that such a person would have the ability to practice compassion and a general sense of equanimity in the face of trying times.  Fortunately, we seem to have found a person who is at a time in his life when personal ambition revolves around trying to make the lives of ordinary Americans at least a little easier.  Old Joe may not be perfect, but, alongside the selfish and rude asshole that he replaced he's looking mighty good.

  Another primary quality that is present in wise people, is 'discernment'.  They can tell right from wrong, something that appears to remain elusive in many on the right in politics.  People like Tucker Carlson, Shaun Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and on and on, seem remarkably unable to know that what they are saying is simply wrong.  In fact, quite the opposite: they are more than happy to make up pseudo-facts and add them to their argument--for example--that voter suppression is addressing a genuine problem...which is just another lie. Many of these 'pundits', far from being wise, are so dedicated to the cause of keeping the old, rich, white men in control, that lying is just another very useful tool in their toolboxes.  

  People who can and do discern right from wrong and use this to make decisions about how to conduct their lives, perform their jobs and avoid doing harm to others.  In any given situation, what is 'right' is not hard to discern, but, you have to have the gift of an active conscience to do so.  If you have...as so many right-wingers have....found ways to de-activate your moral compass, all bets are off.  A person who cannot tell right from wrong is a rudderless ship, bound to meet an unfriendly shoreline at some point.