Wisdom

Wisdom is knowing how to do what you came here to do.

The Acquisition of Wisdom

"Most of your wisdom will be learned from your own mistakes and the mistakes of other people."

Aspects of Wisdom

"Wisdom is an experience, an experience of openness and recognition, an experience of being in contact with two realities simultaneously—the reality of your physical life in the world and the reality of your divine life, your spiritual life, which represents your intrinsic relationship with God and with all of God's messengers.

"Wisdom is not something that you possess alone. It represents a relationship—your relationship with the Greater Power in your life and with Creation itself. Wisdom must be able to guide and instruct you in areas which are beyond your understanding and capacity."

"You are learning The Way of Wisdom as well as The Way of Knowledge. Wisdom has to do with how you carry Knowledge in life--how you express Knowledge, where you share it and how you hold it in regard to yourself and other people."

Expressions of Wisdom

"Learning to deal with the tangible world in a practical way and to open yourself to the mystery of your life, with reverence and humility, represents a new threshold in learning.

"(Discernment and discretion) require the willingness to be instructed, the willingness to learn, and the willingness to revise or unlearn things that have proven counter-productive for you. This requires ... that you hold in abeyance many of your needs--the need for recognition, the need for validation, the need to express yourself, the need to be accepted by others, the need to overcome your adversaries, the need to be unique or special and the need to have all of your wishes fulfilled. These needs must be overcome in order for you to have this greater presence of mind and security in life.

"Being in right relationship with your body, your mind, your being and the being of life itself, which is God, represents Wisdom.

"Knowledge within you requires Knowledge within others to bring about any kind of positive results in the world because Knowledge is fully revealed within the context of relationship. This is where things are known and verified. This is where things are acted upon and given meaning in the world. This is an expression of Wisdom."

Contrast with Knowledge

Wisdom

must be learned, a skill-set for being in the world, developed along the way

Knowledge

cannot be learned, already complete, intrinsic within oneself

See also

Knowledge

Further Study

Greater Community Spirituality, chapter 7: How Is Wisdom Achieved in Life?