As a young adult I admired those individuals who emulated wisdom. I read voraciously the words of great writers and teachers who seemed to have an inside tract on the meaning of life. From Kierkegaard, Tillich, C.S. Lewis, Kahlil Gibran, Jesus, Reinhold Niebuhr, Jung, Martin Buber, to Camus, Sartre, Herman Hess, Samuel Beckett, Tolstoy, Solzhenitsyn, Virginia Woolf, I soaked in what I could. I leaned in hungrily to the words of my professors of philosophy and theology, hoping to find a nugget or two of wisdom that would free me from my suffering. Wisdom . . . a thing I longed for. . . even as it eluded me.
What is wisdom?
Forty five years later, I think I have finally begun to understand the true nature of wisdom. It is not just the gift of insight, although it is that. Nor is it something that shows up on our doorstep, like a Fed Ex delivery. It shows up in its own time and is something that one recognizes in oneself only in hindsight.
Wisdom, I believe, is a byproduct of suffering. It is not an award for endurance, although endurance is necessary. It’s something more. It requires yielding to suffering and allowing it to become our teacher.
Wisdom comes to those who allow the fires of hell to burn down walls of protection in order to see the truth. It does not come to those who insist on wearing masks of denial or pretense. A fundamental ingredient of the wise is the ability to see and speak the Truth regardless of the consequences.
“We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.”
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
The wise learn to see themselves and the world through the eyes of truth, not the eyes of their ego. Wisdom begins to show up precisely when a person sees how much they have left to learn and when they have begun to be willing students of life. Not a goal to be achieved, it arrives precisely when one no longer care about being wise.
FINDING HOPE, Quotes for Midlife and Beyond is packed with quotes to guide and support you as you gather wisdom. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. If so, please leave a review on Amazon and recommend it to a friend! It also makes a great gift for Mother’s Day and special occasions. Thank you, as always, for your support. DS
Beautiful post Dorothy. Indeed much of the time it’s hindsight that reminds us how far and wise we’ve come. I love your book. And wishing you a Happy Easter. 🙂
Thanks, Debby!
I find much wisdom in the book of Proverbs. Here is a verse that has become the touchstone of my life: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Prov. 9:10
Human understanding has limitations; therefore, I look to the divine for guidance. Thank you, Dorothy, for exploring this age-old question here.
Human understanding is limited indeed. I love the book of Proverbs and have always found much solace in the Psalms.