Above All Else - Wisdom
5/1/2013
“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: Proverbs 2:10 -11
“Knowledge is proud that is knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more."
William Cowpen
Does anybody know? Does anybody care these days about the importance of being wise; wise in our business, our family lives, our social life, and our commitment to our spiritual life? During my morning devotions, my favorite chapter is Proverbs, which delivers understanding, wisdom, and inspiration on how to not only survive but to succeed on the gridiron of life. In Proverbs, King Solomon wrote chapter after chapter instructing on the importance of wisdom. The term wisdom and its definition have virtually disappeared from secondary and college textbooks. In fact, Webster’s definitions were so weak that I wrote my own. “Wisdom takes one from folly to discernment; it is a higher order of learning that trumps knowledge in any esoteric discipline. It is somewhat unexplainable but encompasses academic learnings, sound judgment and common sense, intuition, discretion, human understanding and leadership, and a sense of priorities and timing. It is the accumulation of experiential and values-based knowledge that permits one to judge, discern, decide, and live an ethical and prosperous existence.”
J. E. Dinger cautioned his readers not to “mistake the acquisition of mere knowledge for power. Like food, these things must be digested and assimilated to become life or power. Learning is not wisdom; knowledge is not necessarily vital energy. The student, who has made himself merely a receptacle for the teacher’s thoughts and ideas, is not educated; he has not gained much. He is a reservoir, not a fountain. One retains, the other gives forth. Unless his knowledge is converted into wisdom, into faculty, it will become stagnant like still water.” Notwithstanding a bachelors degree, two masters degrees, a doctorate, and diplomas from the Army War College and the Armed Forces Staff College, I feel over-educated and under-learned. Even in my writing, I have a limited view of my own wisdom, so I collaborate it with quotes from those who seem to possess this quality of qualities.
It appears to me that the absence of old-fashioned wisdom and the demise of our traditional family values have contributed to an American society replete with poverty, an unpredictable economy, political mayhem, failing schools, excessive crime, and more. Our schools and colleges are so focused on the acquisition of knowledge for college admissions and the first job that they seem to have forgotten that there is a second curriculum. The second curriculum is wholistic in nature and is characterized by a culture of accountability that promises many rewards. This curriculum is rarely mentioned in the missions and goals of our educational centers. Its key learning outcomes are boundless and difficult to measure. Nonetheless, they are the imperatives for the education of our future leaders. In my judgment, these imperatives are the essence of wisdom, which, when acquired, assure success and happiness.
Dimensions of Wisdom
Sound judgment and discernment
Intuition
Integrity and ethical decision-making
Confidence (with humility – not arrogance) and poise
Sense of purpose
Sound judgment and discernment
Moral reasoning
Self-control
Human understanding
A sense of order and preparedness
Selflessness
A sense of timing
A sense of responsibility and accountability
A spiritual connection
There exists a strong correlation between the all-encompassing wisdom and the practice of sound judgment in the workplace, the home, or in family. Virtually all of my failures were the result of immature or unsound judgment. Sometimes it was not what I did but when I attempted to do it that created the failure. A sense of timing is a developed instinct that one acquires from experience. The more I see of the human condition, the more I believe the business of growing up is more drawn out than most believe. If one achieves wisdom and its sidekick sound judgment by the age of 50, great things can happen.
The acquisition of wisdom is a centerpiece to the Riverside wholistic philosophy of educating our cadets for college and for life. It is important that our staff and faculty buy-in, plan, and deliver the lessons that further the dimensions cited above. Our nation is in desperate need of leaders who possess the personal values and the sense of accountability that are the mantra for this Academy.