It is said, “Life is a journey, plan it well”, and the most important success factor on this journey is “wisdom”, so humanity has been seeking this indispensable requisite throughout all ages, on every path. Thus Job the righteous wondered: “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?”
Over time, people realized the significance of wisdom and its value surpassing gems and pearls, as Solomon the wise said: “For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.”, and also: “For the price of wisdom is above rubies.”
The Holy Bible praised the wise man in Proverbs: “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.”
We note the intense concern of the Fathers with acquiring “wisdom”, also termed” discretion”, which means the ability of man to discern between good and evil, for they considered it the most crucial of virtues, capable of rescuing man from the enemy’s entrapments [Satan]. Thus said one of the Fathers: “Truly, all virtues are beneficial, required by all those who seek God and wish to get closer to Him, yet the most important of these virtues is “discretion”, through which one examines one’s behavior, words and deeds, understanding everything, and discerning between good and evil.”
Philosophers, throughout all ages, constantly highlight the importance of wisdom for the life and happiness of man. For example, Plato placed “wisdom” at the forefront of four virtues in man’s life: wisdom, justice, courage and moderation. Sophocles also described wisdom as the supreme degree of happiness.
Wisdom’s Synonyms:
The word “wisdom” has many synonyms, among which are “knowledge”, “prudence”, “insight” and “perception”.
Wisdom’s Definition:
Some would define wisdom as: “Arriving at one’s aim and purpose through the proper and appropriate means”.
Wisdom in the Holy Bible:
The term “wisdom” and its derivatives are mentioned in the Holy Bible more than 350 times, which shows its great importance to man’s life.
God Almighty enjoined us to seek wisdom. He said, “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”7He gave priority to being wise over being harmless. One of the Fathers says: “Wisdom is a shield of safety and protection of man’s simplicity.” Also wisdom is mentioned in the “Parable of the Unjust Steward” who acted wisely when his master asked him to give an account of his stewardship. Another parable contrary to this one is the “Parable of the Rich Fool” who did not act wisely, when he was concerned for the world and for his barns, forgetting all about his eternal life and failing to strive for it.
Sources of Wisdom:
The Source of wisdom is God the Omniscient. The Holy Bible states: “With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding”.For only God shows man the secrets of wisdom. Regarding this, Jeremiah, the great among the prophets, said: ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Again it is mentioned in Job: “That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!”
It is God who bestows wisdom upon man, as per wise King Solomon: “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Man also has a role in the acquisition of, and quest for, wisdom through:
1. Seeking Counsel
2. Accompanying the Wise
3. Reading & Meditation
4. Experience
First: Counseling:
Solomon the wise recommends we listen to counsel and accept it, because it is the way to wisdom: “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.”
For the man who accepts counsel is a man who seeks real, genuine knowledge and as a result, receives learning from those around him, contrary to the fool, who holds fast to his own point of view, thinking that it is the only correct one. He also said: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” and “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
But whose counsel should man listen to? Man should heed the counsel of those who have wisdom, knowledge and experience, so that their sound counsel would represent a good way to learn wisdom. For example, Rehoboam the son of Solomon, accepted the youths’ counsel and rejected that of the wise elders, which led to the division of his father Solomon’s kingdom. As the proverb goes “Choose the companion ahead of the path”, for life’s difficulties are dispersed by the wisdom of friends, which leads us to the following point.
Second: Accompanying the Wise:
Solomon the wise says: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”
It is also said: “Man is known by the company he keeps.” So, in the midst of life and its problems, you should choose companions who can help you think wisely and have the ability to make the right decision at the right time, so you can avoid stumbling along the path.
The prodigal son chose to be companion to fools, thus he lost everything and was only rescued by returning to his father and repenting, and the account of the prodigal son is repeated thousands of times in our lives, so let’s recite with the poet:
“Socialize with intelligent people,
And choose ethical friends.”
Third: Reading & Meditation:
When you read, you think with someone else rather than yourself, so reading is a rich field for the development of wisdom; it has been said by some that “reading fashions men”, and when Aristotle was asked how to judge someone, he answered: “I ask him how many books he’s read and what sort of books he reads!” Reading should cover multiple branches of culture and knowledge, to enrich man’s mind and thought with all that is beneficial and useful for his awareness.
Lack of knowledge is one of wisdom’s obstacles, which compels man to behave erroneously, and leads to irremediable consequences. So the more you read, the more broadminded you will be; you will also learn how others think. Besides, meditation while reading develops your ability to correctly choose your reading material. A renowned quotation a admire on this topic: “Sow love, you will reap peace. Sow meditation, you will reap wisdom.”
Fourth: Experience:
Experiences undergone by man or those around him, usually increase his wisdom. The longer man advances in age, the wiser he becomes. “Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding.”
But it may happen at times that a young man is wiser than an elder, as a result of earned experiences, for example, Joseph the righteous and Daniel were wiser than many an elder.
To be continued…
