other way around. One can be knowledgeable without being wise. Knowledge is knowing how to use something; wisdom is knowing when to use it.
Wisdom is the practical application of knowledge. It is the answer to the question of “how?” Things reveal their secrets to us if we focus on them for so long. But that attention must be undivided and you must be prepared for infinite patience. So the real learning is: how to think, how to learn what we need to learn, how to accomplish, how to connect, how to meditate, how to contemplate and how to love: to get, feel and keep love.
Wisdom can be gathered. Wisdom can be learned, wisdom can be gained, but wisdom cannot be taught. Wisdom doesn’t take sides, does no harm, and requires understanding of others. It has a distinct element of humility that comes from and with it, as well as prudence and discretion. Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.
Wisdom is the ability to use the best means at the best time to accomplish the best ends. It is not merely a matter of information or knowledge but of skillful and practical application of the truth to the ordinary events of life. It is the awareness to be sensitive to the situation in front of you, it is the awareness to the person you are encountering, uninfluenced by any corruption of the past. Wisdom relates to developing an eternal perspective on life. Wisdom is a virtue.
What is wisdom? How does anyone become wise? Is it something you are, something you have, or something you do? Has anyone ever set out to develop or acquire wisdom as a goal? How does a person become wise? Do people regarded as wise think of themselves as wise? What is it about someone that has others see them as wise?
Wise people have accurate, perceptive insights into human behaviour and understand how things work. They are observers of human nature, are master psychologists with excellent emotional intelligence. They have learned what they know from real life experience, not from academic study. They generally keep what they know to themselves, but are willing to share what they know with certain individuals. They are available to give advice to open-minded learners. They have a talent for asking questions that lead to new understanding. They are conscious of themselves, and can communicate what they know when they choose to.
Wise people are smart about what they do and don’t do. They have an inner frame of reference for their actions and statements. They read situations well and understand others accurately. They can see through them. They trust their intuition. They have a sense of hidden motives behind the actions of others.
They are less vulnerable to cons, threats, criticism, and manipulators. They handle pressure and threats with humour. Wise people remain stable and sustain equanimity in times of turmoil. They want and expect things to work well. They feel optimistic and self-confident when coping with rough situations.
Wisdom understands how to apply Knowledge in the real world. Wisdom is cultivated by following Knowledge and by developing skills in the world. It is based upon the cultivation of discernment and discretion, two very fundamental aspects of your education.
Wisdom deals with the application of the Greater Power which lives within you at this moment and which seeks to express itself through you. Gaining access to this Greater Power and learning of its grace, its intelligence and your intrinsic relationship with it represent the focal point of your education in life, the highest expression of your purpose and the reclamation of your greatest relationships, both with your Creator and with others who live with you here.
Learning how to gain access to Knowledge, how to receive Knowledge, how to accept Knowledge, how to interpret Knowledge, how to apply Knowledge and how to become a vehicle for its expression in life requires the cultivation of Wisdom.
Wisdom represents the ability to translate Knowledge into the finite world. This is your function—to be a vehicle for creativity and creation. With Wisdom you will know the right thing to say to the right person in the right place at the right time. Until you are with the right person in the right place at the right time, you remain silent and observant, without condemning yourself or anyone else. Here you wait for that moment when your gift must be delivered, and you are prepared to give it in whatever form is appropriate.
Wisdom does not speak or act in stupid ways, then blame others. It does not speak or act in ways that cause difficulties for others. It does not speak or act in ways that lead to unnecessary loss. Wisdom does not make the same mistakes. It is not out of touch with what is happening. It is not bitter about the past or cynical about the future. Wisdom does not jump in to comment about the wrong doing of others.
Wisdom develops from lifelong, childlike curiosity and a playful spirit. Wise people are happier rather than hostile, no matter how bad life has treated them. You gain wisdom when you ask questions, explore, want to know how things work, and learn valuable lessons from rough experiences.
In order to apply wisdom you need to understand what wisdom is. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. The amount of wisdom that you have is displayed by the way you apply the things that you know to life’s situations. It’s not how much that you know; that’s knowledge. Wisdom is defined as what you do with the knowledge that you have.
One application of wisdom requires you to exercise self control and not assert yourself into situations. In other words, don’t let your ego dictate your actions or answers. The wise man or woman will not allow you to get under their skin. He or she will answer or act based on the requirements of the situation not the dictates of the ego.
The practical application of wisdom is in understanding that all problems are wisdom problems and that in learning to apply wisdom to one problem you are actually learning the process of applying wisdom, not just solving the problem. Problems are there not just to be solved, as the linear, literal goal-oriented mind would assume. Problems are there to teach us the wisdom of solving problems.
Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.
—Charles Spurgeon
