Wisdom: What is it?

Wisdom isn’t something you’re born with.
High intelligence, yes, but it is foolish to equate intelligence with Wisdom.
Indeed, high intelligence can be a hindrance since you may come to believe that your above average intelligence means what you think can’t be wrong; or worse, that those who disagree with you only do so out of stupidity.
Such arrogance leads to condescension, then self-righteousness, then authoritarianism as you impose your ‘better’, 'more intelligent' way.

Wisdom requires constant striving toward a goal never completely attainable.
You have to think; really think; which means challenge yourself, not simply seeing how you can justify continuing to believe what you already do.
You have to be humble enough to be open-minded, which means you have to question, always, and be prepared to accept answers you don’t like; accept that maybe you’ve been wrong.

Wisdom is not simply the search for Truth, because Truth can have many forms and is often dependent on the perspective of the seeker. Thus, many see Truth but narrowly; a mere partial glimpse they mistake for the whole.
Wisdom is about humility, openness, and fair, as opposed to tribal, judgement. Wisdom requires the acknowledgement, difficult though it makes things, that there is rarely ‘right’ solely on one side, thus only ‘wrong’ on the other; that humans are complex and the mix of them into larger societies brings more complexity still; that complex problems will require complex solutions, not sledgehammer silver-bullet simplistic ones; that sometimes your choice is about finding the least-worst option; that a perfect option with happy outcomes for all is often simply not available, however unfair or frustrating that seems and whatever our utopian desires; that short-term expediency must be compared to longer-term considerations and hard choices made.

Above all, wisdom is glimpsed, afar-off, by those willing to put their preconceptions to one side and earnestly seek their own improvement, rather than deciding they already ‘know’ and so have the right to do nothing but point out errors in others and enforce capitulation to their will upon those others.

To many, Wisdom is whatever they say it is, or an old wives’ tale, or an abstract concept that can be ignored as it gets in the way of ‘real’ life and ‘real’ progress.
But as with yin & yang, along with Truth, Wisdom combines to be that soft glow of inner peace visible over the horizon.

There are two opposite paths offered that stretch across the difficulties and trials of life to reach and relax into that glow of inner peace. One path is paved with solid yet slippery stones secured by attention, humility and contentment. The other path is paved falsely, with a surface-only perfection there to lure and deceive you, made of self-righteousness, hubris, anger, resentment and hatred.
Should you follow the first path, wisdom is the light and warmth on your face that grows with each step; the soft warm breeze carrying the most delightful scent. Take the opposite path and on your back the warmth cools and the scent fades with every inward looking self-regarding step.
And here we have the rub; that most smarting cut.
The false path can, to the undiscerning superficial glance, seem to be true and straight and smooth. It appears easy and thus the better choice; after all, we all want life to be easy, don't we?
It snares the inattentive, the easily pleased, the lazy and the shallow.
The better path may be up hill, with cracks and tussocks and knee-high weeds to negotiate. 

Why would you choose such a path?

Why choose the road less travelled?

Perhaps to seek the purpose and meaning of adventure?

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Some postscript thoughts from Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161 – 190 AD, and Stoic philosopher

“Do not allow the actions of others to disturb your inner peace, for their ignorance does not define your worth or happiness”

“Humility is the foundation of all virtues, for it allows us to approach every situation with an open mind and a willingness to learn from others”