Tag Archives: Wisdom

22

The Gap of Knowledge and Life

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One of the things that I have become more sure of each day is I used to know a lot more about life than I do today. You are led to believe early in life, and you will eventually figure all of this out as you gain more experience and become a bit more mature. Yet the older I get, the more I recognize the gap between life and what I know is growing wider by the moment!

This is not to say that I am becoming less intelligent. On the contrary,  it simply means that as I have gained more experience, I attain a certain level of understanding, which unfortunately causes you to know the things you have believed most of your existence about people and life has been chiefly inaccurate or become irrelevant with the discovery of new information. I am sure of much less than I used to be, and that is OK. I have learned to maintain a balance in the unknown.

What I Used To Think

 

A few years ago, I believed I knew all I needed about relationships, people, finances, politics, and religion. Any topic you wanted to discuss, I was secure in my beliefs of how the world worked and not looking to test those parameters in any way.   I was happy and satisfied, knowing I was very proper and intelligent. We are willing to turn a blind eye to investigation when we are so sure about the true nature of a thing. But life is not a predictable equation, set to the simple calculations of fools.

A funny thing happens as you get older; like old paint on the side of a building, the ideas you carry that once used to show such surety slowly display signs of wear and crack. At first, you can ignore it, but once you start to look at things closely, you realize that what you knew before without the shadow of a doubt is not in any way correct. It happens with just one small thing at first, perhaps a belief about yourself, and once that is proven false, even if it positively helps your life, it is unnerving. If one of your beliefs can be wrong, they could all be wrong, and then what can you count on??

Answers Found, Not Answers at All

Finding an answer does not end the quest; it merely leads you to ask other questions that need to be answered. This cycle continues until you realize that as you answer the many questions you have, more questions come, and soon you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you know much less than you did yesterday.

I believe it would be helpful to give you a demonstration of this process in action. The first question I ever had was, why does bad stuff happen to me?  That was it. I had experienced a string of bad luck, poor choices, and unpopular decision, add-ons, and I couldn’t fathom why this happened to me. Here is a growth opportunity.

The old me would think I didn’t deserve these bad things because I was a good person and never harmed anyone, so why am I being cursed? That often turned into a wave of self-pity and selfishness, unproductive, harmful, and just plain painful.

What I found to be the Answer

image1Life is full of experiences, some may be more pleasant to experience than others, but they all have merit and are designed to teach you something. If you are continually experiencing the same thing, perhaps you are just too dense to grasp the lesson. This was profound, and not surprisingly, those situations stopped occurring.

The questions that came next were predictable, and I think:  Is there a God? Why do bad things happen? What happens when you die? How should I feel? How should you treat others? What is the secret to being happy? What does love mean? Etc.

I am working on all these, but the most mind-boggling question has been, who am I? If you had asked me ten years ago, there would be a short easy answer, based on my job. But when you strip your occupation and titles of a family away, what are you? What makes you uniquely and individually? Is it your thoughts? Or is it the person who sees the ideas? Either way, these questions will keep coming until you have an answer.

Still Not That Smart

I do not have the complete answer to the question of who I am yet and what I am supposed to be doing here because I am not wise enough, and I may never be. I love to learn from the experiences life presents, take those I know, and apply them positively to my knowledge. I am increasing my quality of life and improving the experience for those I encounter.

So as I have searched for answers, I have found many questions. My journey displays clearly and concretely that I know much less today than I did yesterday! I am sure my knowledge will continue to shrink as I get to see the world and the universe better, and I am OK with that. How much you know it is a small thing, and it is how you use what you know to help others and make the world a little bit better place that counts.

“The older I get, the less I know. By that, I mean the less I am sure of. I view people with strong opinions on the big stuff with distrust. I don’t think we should have certainties on faith and politics; I think we should be open-minded.” Pam Ferris.

 “Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.” Immanuel Kant

“The older you get, the quieter you become. Life humbles you so deeply as you age. You realize how much nonsense you’ve wasted time on.”Anonymous

“Never, no, never did nature say one thing and wisdom say another.” Edmund Burke

“Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom knows when to say it.”Anonymous

 

 

22

Life is a Journey

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Life is a continual array of experiences that lead us all to choices we make, actions we take, and the consequences which result, and then the cycle starts all over again. We face the challenges we are presented with by understanding and mastering the principles we build our lives on. Four factors determine how well we manage, react to, and even create the circumstances we experience in life. They are security, guidance, wisdom, and power. Each of these factors drives each of us positively or negatively. Each element drives us positively or negatively. If we are unaware of where we are on the continuum of understanding, there is an opportunity for someone or something else to make the choices for us.

You determine the center of your existence by choosing the principles or your truth. If you think honesty, kindness, caring, understanding, and love are the center of your life, you will react one way. If you let the negative opposites of those things dictate your behavior, then you will respond quite differently. We have the choice to act in either direction, and you are responsible for exactly which actions you choose, why, and the consequences of those decisions. YOu are responsible for yourself and others.

What is your Security?

How you value yourself will define the level of security you have in your existence. On the opposing end of the continuum, you will have no protection and live your life continually, seeking the approval of other people and organizations. On the healthy side, a person who operates from a base of security will be sure that the decisions they make represent the principles they stand for, regardless of what others think about it.

The value you bring to the world and your relationships is not questioned because you are secure in who you are. You are not ruled by your emotions but understand the messages they are bringing you. Each day is an opportunity to display your strength or lack thereof. Learning who we are and what we want to stand for and having the courage to live from this center principle allows our security to provide a positive force in our lives. Or you can live at the whims of others’ opinions of you. This choice will usually involve what is best for them, not you.

Guidance System

If you look at life like a map, display clearly what is happening in the world outside of yourself. The guidance you develop will make moment-by-moment decisions that will enable you to be your most productive and powerful. If you have poor advice, you will rely on society to provide your direction and even for others to make these choices for you. Robust guidance systems come from an inner compass that understands the principles you stand for and will continually make choices moving in that direction.

Again you will be held responsible for the circumstances that result from your choices in how you guide your life. Either you can move from the thoughts and ideas of others, or you can create your level of power and stick to that. Ensure your maps and understanding of the world are accurate if you are dealing with a faulty plan. You will not find the right places like a GPS set on the wrong coordinates. Moment by moment, decisions are made by our standards and principles. You are developing a powerful inner direction that provides unyielding guidance to where you want to go.

Current Level of Wisdom

If you are lucky, the lessons life brings will leave you with some wisdom to help guide you in the future. Your perspectives of life and how you understand it shows actions. Taking the learning from today and applying it to the challenges of tomorrow is the most significant definition and example of wisdom. You will embrace better abilities to judge situations and people and see the value. Comprehension of the factors we face personally, professionally, and in all areas of our life, being able to balance them and apply solutions across areas, is true wisdom.

The continuum of wisdom stretches from the weak area of dealing with an inaccurate map of reality, and all things seem distorted. Nothing seems to fit where it should be—to the other side, where strength exists, provided by a complete and accurate map of life where one sees all parts of their lives totally and adequately related to each other. Many fall somewhere in between the two. Take an honest look at your maps and the information they give you. Do you need to try harder at what you are doing, or do you need to focus some energy on clearing up your map? The answer will reveal where your current level of wisdom is at.

Peak Personal Power

Our power is based on our ability to act in any situation. The strength and potency we can accomplish a task with. This power comes from our energy level and allows us to make sound decisions and choices. Personal power enables an individual to evaluate hurdles inside themselves and outside of them. Creating and supporting a vision of what their life should be. When you see something you don’t like about your life, you can create a plan and take action to overcome deeply embedded habits that aren’t healthy for you.

The continuum of personal power spreads from the weak side where we feel immobilized or allow someone else to pull our strings, leaving us making another person’s wishes. On the healthy side, we operate at a high level with the power to act according to our values. Instead of being affected by other people and circumstances, we can make our own choices and take action. How powerful are you? With personal power comes responsibility for yourself and the plans you make, and the steps you take.

These four factors circle our center, and we can work to adjust our locations on each continuum. Being honest with ourselves and others about where we stand will allow us to create a more productive reality full of the things we desire to see. Being a compelling force in our lives and the lives of those we deal with daily. Evaluating and developing the highest level of security, guidance, wisdom, and personal power should be the goal of each day you live to get the most out of your life.

 

21

Trickster

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I once believed I was an intelligent individual. Life had given me many perceived answers as to how to live, the best patterns of thought to follow, and a philosophy of thinking to guide me. Yet, life is a miserable trickster sometimes, and I had forgotten this important fact. It gives you enough knowledge to build up a false sense of security in your actions and then pulls the foundation in your mind away, letting you fall hard on the unforgiving concrete of learning. Congratulations! You have just moved to a new level of understanding. If you survive the harrowing experience and manage to find a reason to continue with the game of life, then you have won. I once thought I was a relatively wise man, but much of what I believed to be the truth has been proven empty in the pale open light of reality.

I Am Nothing

Wisdom knows that I am nothing. This line is the beginning of a quote I love, and it always reminds me to put my thoughts, actions, and experiences into a proper perspective. No matter what I do in my life, it is all relatively insignificant to the world in the big scheme of things. Nobody cares if I am kind, loving, understanding or mean, hateful or judgmental. The world will continue, and in effect, all that I am is nothing. The world will keep turning without me. Billions of people will rise in the morning, whether I am here or not. Lives will continue, the world will go on, with or without my contribution.

Yet, a small part of the world may benefit from my decision to be caring, kind, accepting, and loving toward those in my life. All I can do is make my actions positively represent my best self and best efforts. The thought that I am nothing with no more influence than anyone else but no less either is Wisdom itself. I have long stopped judging myself and my philosophies as good or bad because they are things I think and experience. I know that I am nothing, and in that knowledge, I have the potential to make a difference.

I am Everything

Love teaches me that I am Everything. In my experience, the human heart is not well equipped to handle love. The emotions of our lives come to us in waves, love, lust, anger, hatred, jealousy, pain, anger, joy, attachment, kindness, meanness, loss, gain, and many more things are all wrapped up in the emotion we describe as love. There are so many things wound up into this experience nobody can take it all quickly. But in love, we can find our best selves and abilities to rise to the surface of who we are.

Inside of us is the constant battle of choice and love is at the forefront of this. It brings heightened experiences and magnifies all the choices we make around them. The more we love ourselves and others, the more our life has to contribute to the world. In being conscious of how our thoughts of love materialize in the world. The closer we are to being our best selves. Love knows I am Everything and in Everything, from nature to thoughts in my head. We are vital to the world because of our capacity to see the value in others and life. This view is often obscured by the painful needs of our false selves or ego. We can’t see our love’s value or capacity because we are too worried about our needs not being met. Remember, love knows you are Everything.

Life is In Between

So we look to Wisdom to know we are nothing and love to understand we are Everything, but then there is the experience of life. We have to be able to look at our experiences and quantify them in some way. It is tough for me because I am constantly moving between these two different realities, and the closer I am to Wisdom, the more lonely and sad I feel. So is it better to be less wise and more blissful in experiencing love each day? I think the phrase is, ignorance is bliss.

I do know that the only person who controls the amount of love I give to the world is me. Circumstances are what they are. The choices of others are theirs to make, and they define their lives. It seems very unwise to allow them to dictate how you feel about yourself. That seems silly and dangerous. A person could be mentally unbalanced, and letting their vacillations of thoughts and caring dictate your reality will make you mentally unstable. I hope I can choose to be wise and loving.

Being Wise and Loving

I hope that in the game of life, I can learn to practice the Wisdom of knowing I am not the center of the universe. Understanding the love I can contribute to the world can make a difference in some small way. By choosing to put the well-being of others and those, I affect in my life. Making positive choices each day and in each situation I face is the best decision I can make. I am choosing to be kind, not mean. To be honest and not lie. To be accepting of others and not judgmental. To be giving, not selfish. To be appreciative, not greedy.

There is only one way that I will find out: to live life and hope that I can navigate this minefield of emotions, thought, and action—turning my life into something that resembles value to others and myself. It must be a pleasant existence to float through things and not wonder about anything in any deep and contemplative way. But that is not my path. Is it one of Wisdom, one of love, or one that contains a balance within? Only in the end will the answer be revealed if it has all been false sense or not.

“Wisdom knows I am nothing,
Love knows I am Everything,
and between the two, my life moves.”

 

Questions

What Price Would You Pay?

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Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
10 years for fame or beauty

by Jonathan Hilton  Day 51

There is no way I would forfeit one day of my life to become extremely attractive or famous because I simply think that both things are subjective and are they really worth it?

Now there are some things that I might seriously consider this proposition but for being attractive or famous I don’t think it would be worth it.

Being Attractive is definitely not worth it

First of all there is the attractive part.  This assumes that being attractive is a purely physical thing, and if I am going to be judged purely on the physical then what about my thoughts, my

attractive not worth it
Beauty is on the inside

creativity and all of the other things which I think are pretty good about me, that make me, me?

Besides I think that many of the problems our society stems from our obsession with physical beauty. Which to one person is different than to another.

When you look at your life and your development as a human being, would you give back the knowledge, understanding and wisdom that you have collected over the years?

Looks are fleeting, but your character lasts forever.  In the end, isn’t a higher intellect and human understanding much more attractive to the right kind of people anyway?

Beauty is subjective and changes, and those who value the aesthetic over the substance of a person tend to be shallow.  Why would you care what they think of how you looked? Those who you would care about would see your value and beauty no matter what your looks were.

I have known very attractive people on the outside who are really unattractive on the inside, and every one seems to be unhappy.

Fame Is Fleeting

When it comes to fame, I think that living ten years of life would be more valuable than

fame is costly and fleeting
What Price For Fame?

whatever fame could bring to you.  I think that being famous is a double edged sword, because everything that you do is thrown wide open for the world to see.

There seems to be very little that famous people keep to themselves, and that might be difficult.

I would never deny a certain human desire to have your thoughts and talents appreciated by others, and that fame might lead to some validation of what you have thought or done.

However, there is another side that will inevitably come with that, of judgment of your entire life.

Everything that you ever did, or anyone that you have ever known would have a piece of you that could be distributed for cash reward.  Real friends are hard to find in any case, I think with fame you would never know who your friends were or what the real intentions of people were.

So I think fame might be interesting, but not worth ten years of my life. Think of all of the experiences you can have in ten years.  There will be beautiful days, great relationships, love, gratitude, anything that you can imagine that you could experience in a ten year period would not be worth giving up for fame.

What Would I Give Ten Years For?

Thinking about this I had to try to think of something that I would give up ten years from my life expectancy for and I came up with a few.  First, I think I would do it for the perfect

young forever
We are our experiences, it is all a valuable part of the process.

relationship, but then I think that the perfect relationship exists for everyone so I could have that without giving up ten years of my life, so I would keep the ten years and enjoy the relationship for that time.

I would be tempted to give up ten years on the end of my life to be able to be young again and know then what I know now, because I wouldn’t waste so much time doing things that are so stupid.

Then you realize that all of those experiences were vital in making you who you are. Even though the experiences of your 20’s were often self destructive, self indulgent and downright idiotic, they were a necessary stop on the journey of your life.

True wisdom can never be gained unless you learn the lessons that life has to offer you.  Knowing what it is like to be excessively drunk, lets you know that your decision to not drink at all is smart.

Having meaningless relationships gives you the capacity to appreciate deeper connections with people today. Acting foolish and not valuing your thoughts, allows you the capacity today to appreciate the wisdom that you have attained and the depth that your thoughts take today.

So the short answer would be that I guess there is nothing that I would give up ten years of my life expectancy for, every second is precious, and needs to be cherished and lived to its fullest potential.

When I first heard this song, I was in my thirties, today in my mid forties, I wonder if I have lived my life to it’s fullest. I can only hope that every day I do.

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