It is often said and believed that wisdom comes with age. The general thought is that true wisdom lies with the old. I beg to differ as I have found a lot of old people that are obtuse and I have found that wisdom is more discernible in those (old and young) whom are unafraid to examine not only mistakes derived from their own poor judgments but the pitiable choices of others as well. Hence I believe that…
Wisdom does not always come with age, it comes with understanding and neither is exclusive to the old. Sometimes wisdom comes with experience lived and witnessed exclusively on the condition that the ones experiencing and witnessing is continually engaged in introspection; they are willing to proactively do what is necessary to prevent (wherever applicable) negative outcomes and practice mindfully the behaviours and actions essential to duplicate the positive ones.
Sometimes that clarity comes with age, sometimes it comes with understanding, for some it will take years for others it just never happens. All of it however comes from an examined life.
Mindfulness thought… One person cannot live long enough to make and experience all the mistakes there are in the world. Sometimes it is wise to learn from others. –’self quoted’
D.S.B. Rhapsody © 2008
Some people can say so much with so few words. It’s just not fair! But thanks anyway! As with Jesus for example I have found that you examine His words in the light of His all around attitude, His lifestyle and how all of that worked itself out in the course of His life on earth with others – then you will be in a position to better understand what His words mean in each situation in which they are given.To get an even better handle on that just do all of these same things with the people that He personally mentored. They were in the best position to truly understand what He meant. And last but not least – it helps to do all of that in view of our own experiences and observations of life.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I agree with you. I think people are just assuming, (and we all know what that does), that the older you get, the more opportunities one has had to learn a thing or two. Therefore, they should be wiser. Of course, that would also be assuming that we all started out with the same amount of brains and the instruction manual.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people could learn from this.
ReplyDeleteHi, sweetie.
ReplyDeleteThis is true. However, I find it is the elders that mix just the right amount of experience and wisdom to make it virtually impossible for me not to believe they (the elders) have a true sense of the path of knowledge.
Otherwise, prayer to the Lord is the only other insight!
Blessings, love!
No, no, no, no, no! I am old, there 4 i am wyse. Wait . . . I am old n i hab wisdumb. No, wait . . . Really, though – check out the Justices and Chief Justices of the U.S. Supreme court. They are ancient and I defy someone to point out the wisdom in that bunch. Peace.
ReplyDeleteFabz,
ReplyDeleteGolly, you sure get philosophical at times, huh? And what you say is SO sound for the most part, too. Here are some questionable points I picked-up:
Age IS exclusive to the old–well, advanced age is.
Wise people need not continually engage in introspection; their wisdom may direct them to wisely focus on other matters at times.
If an adolescent led an examined life, he or she could easily NOT be wise ’cause without sufficient experience and opportunities to
find possible flaws in one’s ideas, their "wisdom" would not hold up to scrutiny.
However, I commend you for your wise choice to explore wisdom and what it is and is not, etc.
Your sometimes wise friend in Texas,
Richard
Rhapsody,Words of wisdom here that you have written….very well noted…not all things are always learned from our elder’s. Sometime’s we have to look all around us and know that we can even learn and expand our mind’s from people of all ages and walks of life. This is what compiles the composition and makeup of the very fabric of who we are! My compliment’s on a very well thought provoking post and done with such grace and facts. Have a warm and blessed weekend my friend!
ReplyDeleteWise words Fab.
ReplyDeleteSo true. My grandmother used to say "There’s no fool like an old fool" Whether you learn from your own mistakes or from those made by others, the important thing is to learn. Being "old" myself, and having a fair amount of experiences, I have to say that experiencing something does not necessarily equate to an understanding of it.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Fab…
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent post.
We can learn so much from our experiences and also from the experiences from others.
I’m currently reading a book that my daughter brought home from college.
If I told some people the title they would be beside themselves and maybe even angry.
But it is the closet I can come to gaining a perspective (wisdom) of life through their eyes, feelings, and emotions.
Gaining more wisdom can start anytime and can be increased or decreased anytime.
It all depends upon our heart condition.
Be well my friend. Summer is here and we are all a lot busier…Greg
I think you said in here "Wisdom does not always come with age".I believe in any age person that if understand for others. it all depend on the person.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week ahead.
The mindfulness thought is so true. I am living proof of that. lol
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
Submitted on 2008/06/01 at 12:29 PM
Sigh... obviously I've not been wise though I am older. I hope others will learn from my mistakes. Problem is... I'm still making mistakes. Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteI don't think older people are always wise as you say. I think it may be measured by the life we live especially with those who have genuine common sense. Unfortunatly some people are simple idiots...LOL.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on WP. I have subscribed to you here but I have set up a place where you can subscribe by email on my blog.
http://ravenofleyla.wordpress.com/
Peace be with you,
Raven
I agree with you 100%. Some old people are not wise in anyway.
ReplyDeleteSo true, age doesn't necessarily confer wisdom.
ReplyDeleteWisdom is not necessarily in direct proportion to age though the chances of getting wise is more for aged with the long experience provided they learn from it.I have seen profound wisdom in young persons and utter foolishness in the old.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely is wise to learn from others. great post!!
ReplyDelete@Kay hmmmmmm, ain't that the truth for all of us though?
ReplyDelete@ravenofleyla hmmmm, i use to think that older people should know better, i have come to understand though that, that isn't always true.
ReplyDelete@Myne Whitman True that...
ReplyDelete@KParthasarathi That is so true, the key is learning isn't it, not just living but actually learning.
ReplyDelete@Beth Sometimes it is the best way. I firmly believe that we cannot experience it all but we can learn from all experiences we are privvy to.
ReplyDeleteI would put it another way. Wisdom comes from an open mind. Nothing gets into a closed mind.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the younger age person learnt from their
ReplyDeleteparents or Grandparents it is a like marry go land
to pass down to younger generation.
That why you heard "My mum said or my grandma said
and that way a good for them to acknowledge an old saying:-)I'm sure you said your daughter to nice things too:-)
@michiko That is very true Michiko although often times the significants of the meaning doesn't really bloom until long after. I guess one could say, when understanding comes?
ReplyDelete@BostonBoy That is very true.
ReplyDeleteWisdom only comes with age if you're ready to learn from experience. No matter how experienced you are though, you're not going anywhere near wisdom if your mind is closed off
ReplyDeleteAdiya
Muse Origins Features
Muse Origins
@Muse Origins hmmmmm, yes and no i would say the definite term "only" is inaccurate as some wisdom is born of experience and that can occur at any age.
ReplyDeletei thoroughly agree with you! things like wisdom and maturity dnt necessarily come with age
ReplyDelete@kitkat Ain't that the truth though? As a child i use to wonder why some men and women behaved worst than children.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous blog - gosh. Your words of wisdom
ReplyDeleteare very helpful to me.