The Practice of Wisdom

A few months ago, I received this text from my dad and have found the words inspiring:

Thought you might be interested in a David Brooks article today in the New York Times on the definition of wisdom. Over the ages, people tended to define wisdom as superior knowledge, but Brooks suggests that in his experience wisdom is less an impressive body of knowledge and more a way of relating to and influencing others.

Wise people usually do not tell a person what to do. They know that people only change after they feel understood and the really good confidant, those we go to for wisdom, first brings a "quality of attention" to your story, accepts it, learns how you deal with difficulties, and only then provides a non-threatening nudge to help you consider changes to your actions or relationships. It is the skillful process of walking people to their own conclusions that may constitute wisdom.

In our ideological age, where we are led to identify ourselves in categories -- male/female, black/white, liberal/conservative etc., perhaps wisdom can be seen as the way we interact with people of different opinions, not as types but as more nuanced individuals trying to understand opposing points of view and new ideas for narrowing our differences.

My dad and mentor, Jerry Sheinbach