“Understanding becomes wisdom when informed by purpose, ethics, principle, memory of the past, and projection into the future…The fundamental characteristics at the opposite ends of this spectrum are very different. Data, on one end of the spectrum, is separable, objective, linear, mechanistic, and abundant. Wisdom, on the other end of the spectrum, is holistic, subjective, spiritual, conceptual, creative, and scarce.”
“We are now at a point in time when the ability to receive, utilize, store, transform, and transmit data – the lowest cognitive form – has expanded literally beyond comprehension. Understanding and wisdom are largely forgotten as we struggle under the avalanche of data and information. In the ever accelerating assault of data and information on cognitive capacity, understanding and wisdom may be declining in absolute as well as relative terms.”
“…our society understands very little about what it knows. It has ever less wisdom in relation to the information it commands. The immensity of data and information that assaults our cognitive capacity is also conditioned by a very small ratio of social, economic, and spiritual value. The result is vast technological power unleashed with inadequate understanding of its systemic propensity for destruction, or sufficient wisdom to guide its evolution in holistic, creative, constructive ways.”
— Dee Hock, founder of VISA, Birth of the Chaordic Age
Noise. Data. Information. Knowledge. Understanding. Wisdom?
We live in what is often called the Information Age. Human knowledge explodes exponentially. But are we wiser? Do we need wisdom? What is wisdom anyway? And then if we aren’t wise, what are we?
King Solomon, the writer of most of these sayings of Lady Wisdom, was purported to be the wisest man that ever lived. He ruled over a nation at the height of its political and economic prosperity in the global economy. His was a nation that had it all. Peace. Power. Prosperity. And yet he felt compelled to collect these sayings of wisdom and give them to his nation.
Why? Why does a nation… that has it all… need wisdom?
These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David’s son, Israel’s king – written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it is going; a manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair; to teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There’s something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn – fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.
- Proverbs 1:1-6, The Message
Why do we need wisdom?
- To know how to live well and right
- To understand what life means
- To understand where life is going
- To learn what’s right, just, and fair
- To give us a grasp on reality
That’s just the start!
Comment: (One)
Wisdom
The Amish have been in the news recently because of the school shooting tragedy. The reaction of that community has been instructive to watch. It is probably an over simplification, but look at that community, its values, and presumably its lack of noise (ie. data input, knowledge input,etc.). Then, look at their response. How about the grandfather of one of the young victims who urged forgiveness for the shooter? Is this wisdom, or just moral clarity? Is there a difference? My friends and I have been discussing this for a few days now. While we all agree that it isn’t necessary to take the full Amish approach to life, there is something to be learned from these people who have intentionally restricted their exposure to the information age.