Really.

I want to know.

When you hear the word wisdom, what do you think?

Our friends at Merriam-webster.com say its:

  1. ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: insight
  2. good sense: judgement
  3. generally accepted belief
  4. accumulated philosophical or scientific learning: knowledge
  5. a wise attitude, belief or course of action
  6. the teaching of the ancient wise men

Now let’s look at antonyms from thesaurus.com

  1. ignorance
  2. imprudence
  3. inability
  4. ineptness
  5. stupidity
  6. thoughtlessness

It’s all well and good to have definitions of things, but what do you think wisdom actually is? How do you define it?

If you had to give me a synonym or antonym, what word would you choose?

What do I think wisdom is?

Hmmm…that’s a really good question…

I think wisdom is the ability to look at something, to take away any biases that one may have, and see what is true and what is important. It’s to strip away the garbage, and figure out what the real lesson is and what matters the most, and what will be most important in the long run. To me, it’s more to do with insight. A wise person figures out what matters most. I think the opposite of wisdom most closely lies with ignorance.

Am I a wise person?

About some things, sure. About other things? Not even a small letter w makes it to the plate…but I am wise enough to know that I really know nothing in the scheme of things…I just talk a good game…

SO…

Wisdom?

Definitions? Examples?

GO:

80 thoughts on “What is wisdom…”

  7. I completely embrace your definition of Wisdom. See how wise I am in doing that? But it does reflect my own opinion and view. The only antonym I would add is impetuousness. Not wise at all. Like you I have attained wisdom in somethings but not in others. I guess that is what growing is about. Excellent post!! Chris

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  8. Personally, I tend to like the way scripture describes it: “..the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Even if someone doesn’t follow the scriptures, there’s a lot of good stuff in that.

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      1. I do, too, with one possible caveat possibly related to your definition, LA. The general definition sort of implies that wisdom might be recognized as a general concept, whereas I might look at it as something more personal to myself, my life, my experiences, my surroundings, etc..

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  14. As usual LA I see you have an abundance of wise readers, and some humor as well. I think we try to make decisions on the basis of the information we have at the time and only later, when looking back, do we know if we were wise. That’s the difference with mistakes, because we usually know quite promptly when we have done something stupid.

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  18. You got to know when to hold back, know when to walk away, know when to run…you never count your money while sitting around…a good sense of where you be and how you really be. This is wisdom…knowing when to leave and when to stay.

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  19. I think living on a cruise ship as a senior citizen one day would be fantastic but what exactly are the hidden costs…can I really afford it…is it really safe…would I get bored being on the ocean all day along or am I wise to understand that want I crave at one point in my imagination and live might change as I get older and wiser, even if I have the funds.

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  24. I always look at wisdom as being very thoughtful. A wise decision is one not made in haste. On a lighter note why are those extra molars in our mouth called wisdom teeth ?

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  25. In my mind, wisdom is the combination of several other qualities – perhaps knowledge, experience, and judgement. Winnie the Pooh’s characters famously provide good examples of various traits – with Owl being wise, Rabbit knowing things, Kanga being caring, Piglet being uncertain, Tigger being brave, and so on.

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  28. Wisdom and knowledge are two different things. One can be extremely knowledgable and book smart and have no wisdom at all. I think wisdom comes with age and the ability to discern the nuances of a situation without jumping to conclusions or knee jerk reactions.

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  30. When I think of wisdom, I think of monks, in yoga position, calm, serene, detached from anger and sadness. I remember the turtle in kung fu panda. A wise person doesn’t say much, but when they speak, their words are profound. Someone wise doesn’t speak in hushed whispers but with confidence, nor do they feel the need to yell to get their point across

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