What Is Wisdom, How Important Is it, and Why?

What is wisdom to you?

What role does it play in being a Jedi, and how important is it?

Coming from a previous tradition where Wisdom was personified as a goddess, Wisdom is still the top throne in my personal pantheon, and I see the path here as being another facet of the same way. To me, wisdom (in the individual quality) is one of the fruits that show whether or not the right seed are being planted and correctly cultivated in the work that we do...but it also has to be kept in mind that the road to Wisdom is often found by making a lot of mistakes and learning from them rather than the theories, so that fruit often takes a while to mature. There is a quality of Wisdom that shines in people's manner and speech - to me, almost more like a sense of timing than a type of knowledge. And I still view it as being tied to a sense of receptiveness, having a grounded-ness (the "humus" in humility) to allow learning to from others and experience in order to open up to that source within yourself.

There is a passage from Rilke (and the Barrows/Macy translation) that has been with me for a couple decades now, and really informs every aspect of my life and is the summary of all I have aspired to, past and present:

I want to know my own will
and to move with it.
And I want, in the hushed moments
when the nameless draws near,
to be among the wise ones—
or alone.

Ich will meinen Willen und will meinen Willen begleiten
die Wege zur Tat;
und will in stillen, irgendwie zögernden Zeiten,
wenn etwas naht,
unter den Wissenden sein
oder allein.

I look forward to seeing where this discussion goes, and thank you for bringing it into play.

What is wisdom to you?

The release of tension.

What role does it play in being a Jedi, and how important is it?

Hmmmm..... its the flipside of focus probably, so while I'd like to answer that by saying 'equal', I'm not sure if that's a fair representation of where I'm at!!

Proteus wrote: What is wisdom to you?

What role does it play in being a Jedi, and how important is it?

A community who has learned that being hell bent on dictionary definitions as a primary debate topic is nowhere near as important as actually going outside and taking care of your community...That's wisdom for me.

1) What is wisdom?

Wisdom is knowing ourselves, and recognizing/acknowledging our real motives for any given behavior. Knowing what we really want, and whether or not we really should get it lol.

Understanding the motives, needs, and desires of the people around us.

Understanding the consequences of decisions, and being able to adjust ones behavior on order to achieve the desired consequences. Which includes the way we effect other people: how we treat them and how they treat us, and the ability to recognize and change if/when things arent working.

Accurately assessing the strengths, limitations, and potential of oneself and others.

Accepting reality for what it is, (and people for who they are) allowing it to be what it is, and making the best choices we can with as little resentment, self pity, or general undue distress as possible. Accepting reality gracefully while also working to make the best of it.

Knowing when to let go and when to hold on.

Wisdom isnt just the knowing, but acting on what we should know. Wisdom is a matter of our behavior as much as (probably more than) it is a matter of our ideas.

2) What role does it play?

For the most part, our lives are no more or less than the natural consequences of our wisdom (or lack of wisdom).

Wisdom is knowing that even though tomato is a fruit, it has no place in a fruit salad.

To me in my practice, wisdom can be like a Recipe or a program with clear or specific results. In that light - I can attain any form I see fit or choose. I rarely seek the credit and value it lesser. It matters to me not who said it or who it belongs to but the results ... what do I get when I have it... ahhh there's the good stuff. Knowledge can be memorized even stored and even purchased stolen or even found ... but wisdom is the recipie - the mixing the application for ceartain results. Mix taste and bake at said heat ... wait till ready and .... ding! You have end result ! That's how I see andnptactice wisdom . We all have difrent definitions of the stuff - there are others like it / but this one is mine ! Smiley face !!

I can relate to virtually everything that's been said already.

For me, where knowledge comes from learning, wisdom comes from application; there's an experiential component that goes beyond what you can get from a text. That said, wisdom doesn't necessarily require you yourself get hands-on, make mistakes, have bad experiences; you can gain wisdom from observing how others apply learning, taking cues from people who do things correctly, watching others' mistakes and not repeating them. That's just good judgment, which is also a big part of wisdom.

Atticus wrote: I can relate to virtually everything that's been said already.

For me, where knowledge comes from learning, wisdom comes from application; there's an experiential component that goes beyond what you can get from a text....

This was a source of false confidence for me for a very long time. I started searching for "wisdom" at around 15 and i thought i was wise because i read a lot of philosophy and explored different religious ideas. I thought i was wiser than the average person because i knew all these "spiritual truths" that set me apart, rofl.

But i was immature and making bad decisions left and right. Not being responsible, or organized, or disciplined in any meaningful way.
For all my "wisdom" and "spiritual truths", my life was just one big collection of bad habits, self centered, emotional reactivity, and impulsive, reckless behavior.

Now i understand that a person who behaves foolishly is a fool, even if they have a bunch of clever ideas bouncing around in their head. And a person who behaves wisely can be considered wise, even if their thoughts are simple or uncultivated.