The getting of wisdom.

Do we feel wiser and able to dispense pearls of wisdom, gleaned from many years of experience because we have reached a certain age? Do we still look to the sage on the mountain top or the village elder for wisdom? Is Yoda still the wisest in that galaxy far far away?

Wisdom can be funny concept, not funny ha ha but funny peculiar in perception and how we treat the so called wise.

Nowadays you can’t say people are wise just because they have accumulated knowledge or have access to information because if that were true, then Google would be the wisest of them all. It’s what you do with all that knowledge and experience and how you use it to navigate your way through life that may give you the moniker of the wise.

Certainly specific skills and knowledge associated with success for someone like Warren Buffett gives him the aura of wisdom when it comes to stocks and trading. Yet that wouldn’t presuppose you ask advice from Warren on other subjects because the feeling is his wisdom is specific in one field. No doubt you have a 12 year old nephew, who some would describe as wise beyond his years, when talking about his skill in the multi layered, multi media social engagement platforms but once again you wouldn’t go to him for advice on family matters or business scenarios causing you concern.

So wisdom in specific areas is highly sought after but not as rounded as the perception we have of the wisdom of years. How many years is difficult to measure but 50 years seems a good starting point and you would think you’d have accumulated enough experiences and knowledge over that time to be considered wise. Yet for many that’s still not enough time, so do we go for higher numbers or is the search for wisdom related to more intangible assets.

It’s not just age, knowledge or experience, that make the wise, it’s the ability to use all of these and to see the world in different ways, answer intuitively and have acceptance of your answers, making you the keeper of wisdom. The more we look at the conundrum of wisdom the more obvious it becomes that not everyone gains enough wisdom to be perceived as wise. Meaning different things to different people and difficult to measure in today’s world of accountability, wisdom is bestowed on only a few, giving credence to the honour due to its scarcity.

Today wisdom is often disguised as net savvy information technology and having a fast connection with an opinion attached. I cringe, waiting to read the first article claiming Google dispenses wisdom.

Don’t be fooled and when you find the wise among your circle ( you’ll know it intuitively ) use them as mentors and sage council because no one knows how long they’ll be around before the tidal wave of technology makes us forget who they are and what they mean to the getting of wisdom.

May the force be with you.