The practice of wisdom

Wisdom is the integration of the emotional, intentional, and cognitive aspects of human abilities in response to life tasks and problems. It’s a balance between the opposing interests that we find, and it relieves us from intense emotional involvement. It allows us to detach and to match our actions to what is going to be in the best interests of all concerned. It involves both our intelligence and our creativity, as well as our knowledge. Wisdom, by its very definition, should not be used towards the achievement of dark ends but to achieve a common good. Wisdom is a unique, complex, multi-component human trait. It involves dynamic and balanced integration of various components. It’s greater than the sum of its parts. It’s purposeful. It seeks to enhance the wellbeing of the self and of society.

You might say, ‘Well, I can live a fulfilling life without needing to be wise. Surely, I can be happy. I don’t need to be wise to live a meaningful life.’ In the short term, we are engaged in a struggle between the profane and the divine. We’re invited to realise our highest and purest being as an expression of the divine, but for most of us, the invitation is lost in the post. As American Franciscan friar Richard Rohr puts it, ‘wisdom is the highest expression of human development’. Why not seek it?