A dictionary definition of “wisdom” is: “the body of knowledge and experience that develops within a specified society or period” (Concise Oxford Dictionary). This definition is narrow. Online there are many illustrations of and discussions about wisdom. An example is (see footnote1https://damonjgray.medium.com/the-seven-pillars-of-wisdom-501d5ea7400f). Here characteristics of wisdom are listed and reflected on. According to The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, wise people are pure, peaceable and gentle, reasonable and merciful, and sincere. A pure person avoids evil and strives to behave well. Good behaviour is to some extent a matter of opinion. For most of us it indicates obedience to just laws. As for unjust laws, a wise person will seek to recognise and defy them. Wisdom encompasses the ability to choose and discriminate, but not to shrink from the challenges of life.
As we look at the world around us and the wars raging on our planet earth, we may think that some leaders are anything but peaceable. War is nothing new; since 1900 alone we have had two world wars. In the twenty-first century, a third world war threatens in the middle east. If we look back into the past, wars have maimed and killed millions of militia, civilians, and animals. Among the bravest of soldiers, sailors and fighter pilots are those who hate war and its effects, yet join in the fray because they believe it is their duty. Two poets are examples of this: Siegrid Sasson and Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen said, “My subject is war, and the pity of war.” His poems do not glorify war, but show it in all its horrors. Wisdom is for from providing a safe refuge from strife. It is anguish for a peaceable and gentle person to shed blood.
The UK prime minster is trying to pass into law a bill to send certain asylum seekers to Rwanda. “The deal will cost UK taxpayers about £1.8m for each asylum seeker…. Rwanda was ruled to be unsafe for asylum seekers by the supreme court. … In the Commons, Stephen Kinnock said the Rwanda plan was ‘Doomed to fail.’”, writes Rajeev Syal in The Guardian, 16 April 2024. Wise readers will judge for themselves if such a law would be practicable, affordable, or in the interests of asylum seekers or UK citizens. Some of us have seen photographs of accommodation that would allegedly be offered to asylum seekers. The photographs show bedrooms worthy of a five-star hotel with freshly laundered linen on the beds. A wise person would not believe such photographs, but seek evidence of real facts. To question whether it is just or practicable to send asylum seekers to Rwanda shows a healthy curiosity. It shows desire to learn and understand. Curiosity is part of wisdom.
Reason is a facet of wisdom. A wise person listens to suggestions and arguments, and seeks to identify them either as nonsense or as defensible. Those of us who are not superstitious will question an allegation that floods occur because witches hate us and want to punish us. Wise people are sceptical of such beliefs and suspect they are the products of wild imaginings. They are more likely to study what experts say about floods. It is uncomfortable to accept the possibility that floods are the result of human behaviour, but the truth is often uncomfortable.
We should strive to acquire wisdom. It takes time and conscious effort. One way to achieve it is by studying the words and deeds of wise people in the past and those alive today, seeking to influence their fellow human beings. A heroic example of a wise man was Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013. He was imprisoned for 27 years for leading the African National Congress (ANC) which opposed apartheid (racial segregation). He was a South African anti-apartheid activist, politician and statesman. He was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and the first black head of state. He and FW de Klerk were worthy winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for the peaceful elimination of apartheid in South Africa. Mandela was the ideal wise person: peaceable, despite his extraordinary courage in enduring a long and unjustly imposed prison sentence. To call him reasonable is an understatement; he showed astonishing intelligence in working out his aims and achieving them. Some of his admirers consider him a genius.2https://en.wikipedia.org/
It is rare to be as gifted as Siegrid Sassoon, Wilfred Owen or Nelson Mandela, but to seek wisdom is in itself wise.
Footnotes:
1. https://damonjgray.medium.com/the-seven-pillars-of-wisdom-501d5ea7400f