Wisdom is a social skill practiced within a relationship or a system of relationships. Wisdom is practiced when people come together to form what Parker Palmer called a âcommunity of truth.â A community of truth can be as simple as a classroomâa teacher and students investigating some problem together. It can be two people at a table in a coffee shop, noodling over some problem.
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For thousands of years, people have exchanged sound bites called proverbs. Proverbs are simple yet profound. Cervantes defined proverbs as âshort sentences drawn from long experience.â Take the English-language proverb: âA bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.â Whatâs the core? The core is a warning against giving up a sure thing for something speculative. The proverb is short and simple, yet it packs a big nugget of wisdom that is useful in many situations.
The practice of beginnerâs mind, of not assuming we know, is a way to build greater understanding and trust, especially when we have a disagreement or conflict with someone else. Listening is a key skill in creating that trust and connection.
SEVENTEEN: What is Wisdom?
âGuy de Maupassant captured one of the characters this way: âHe was a gentleman with red whiskers who always went first through a doorway.â With that one line, I felt a whole character was revealedâa guy who was pushy, competitive, full of himself. I like to think of these little everyday insights as moments of wisdom. Wisdom isnât knowing about physics or geography. Wisdom is knowing about people. Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life. Thatâs the great gift Illuminators share with those around them.
A community of truth is created when people are genuinely interested in seeing and exploring together. They do not try to manipulate each other. They do not immediately judge, saying, âThatâs stupidâ or âThatâs right.â Instead, they pause to consider what the meaning of the statement is to the person who just uttered it.
Guidance means your source of direction in life. Encompassed by your map, your internal frame of reference that interprets for you what is happening out there, are standards or principles or implicit criteria that govern moment by moment decision-making and doing.
Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other. It embraces judgment, discernment, comprehension. It is a gestalt or oneness, an integrated wholeness.
Power is the faculty or capacity to act, the strength and potency to accomplish something. It is the vital energy to make choices and decisions.