In many cultures, the owl represents
wisdom. From an association with
Athena, the Greek goddess of knowledge, and appearances in Aesop's fables to more
recent cameos in A.A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh," the owl is a go-to
symbol of wisdom. Even if you just want to know how many licks it takes to get
to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, you should ask an owl, though you
risk losing your Tootsie Pop in the name of research.
But whom can we turn to for wisdom in
the human world? In high school, I
was told that beer makes you smart!!!
They say it is proven because they made Bud wiser… In a study by Robert Sternberg of
Yale, participants were asked to nominate
individuals that they thought wise; the average age for nominees was about 55
or 60 years old. If you ask, people
will say names of old-timers like Gandhi, Socrates, the Pope, etc.… Clearly, the public believes that with
age comes wisdom. I am 51, so I
must be nearing the age where I am wise.
Yea right!
So, is age a prerequisite for wisdom? Now that I am aging, I am also starting to doubt that. We all know a
few elderly people who lack wisdom. People certainly are sometimes at peak
brainpower in old age. The brain shrinks slightly with age, and aging leads to an average decline in cognitive function that results in dementia or Alzheimer's.
Lately, I have been reading many books for work as part of a yearlong supervisor training
course. From "Smart to Wise" by Prasad Kaipa and Navi Radio, I read, "Smartness is like a wild horse: riding it can be exhilarating for a
while until you are thrown from it. To tame and harness smartness for the long
run, you need wisdom—the stuff that gives you ethical clarity and a sense of
purpose." I really wonder what
that means.
In summary, I am more confused and less wise as I age. The more I read, the less knowledgeable I feel. So, age and wisdom mean anything. As I age, I become increasingly stupid. Like riding my bike to work yesterday when even cars had issues. Not wise, but I enjoyed it... (See YouTube video below.)
In summary, I am more confused and less wise as I age. The more I read, the less knowledgeable I feel. So, age and wisdom mean anything. As I age, I become increasingly stupid. Like riding my bike to work yesterday when even cars had issues. Not wise, but I enjoyed it... (See YouTube video below.)
Anyway, this whole topic started because I rode my
bike to work and was so happy, but was it wise? I
know it's 18 miles one way, but it provides time to just ride and think—time to reduce stress and realize how
special I have it to ride when all those people pass me in their cars, stressed
to no end and seemingly getting nowhere.
So, does age bring wisdom? I say no. Experience brings wisdom, and based on that, I am on a
solid path of gaining wisdom daily, but I am not sure I will ever be considered
wise.
No comments:
Post a Comment