They Say

The idea of wisdom has been contemplated for a very long time. Great philosophers like Plato and Aristotle have taken the thought of wisdom very seriously. The question they attempt to answer is what makes someone wise. 

In an article from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy they stated that the topic of wisdom hasn't received much attention for the "contemporary" world. They gave multiple examples of philosophers like Plato and Aristotle and their thoughts on wisdom. Plato argues that a person of wisdom doesn't believe they are wise. Socrates might argue that one has wisdom once they have attained actual knowledge. But basically this article is stating that many people have different opinions on wisdom. 

The definition from Dictionary.com "the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is trueor right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacit ,discernment, or insight." so this leaves a very broad interpretation. 

Many agree that there is wisdom but argue how to attain it. I only touched on a few views that people have on wisdom, but I think an article from Psychology Today puts it   in a good perspective. "..wisdom is hard to pin down, but people generally recognize it when they encounter it."

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wisdom/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/wisdom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wisdom

Wax on Wax off

So when I think of a person with Wisdom, the first thing that comes to mind is a person who doesn't talk much. I think of a person who is engaged in conversations but does more listening then talking, and when he does speak he makes an important statement. Kind of reminds me a little of the Mr. Miyagi in the 1984 Karate Kid.

But what do you think of when your asked to picture a "wise person"? In my opinion, James, in the New Testament of the Bible,  explains an important characteristic of wisdom. In James Chapter 1:19-21 he writes, 

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

I love this verse and really take it to heart. But where is James coming from? James is arguing many of the practical aspects of Christianity and how one should live their life as a Christ follower. This is a letter directed toward the Christians.  This letter was written around 48 AD. and Christians were being persecuted for following Jesus so they even had a reason to become angry. People were believing that it was ok to quickly become angry. But James says no,  "Anger does not bring about a righteous life..." he is expressing what true faith and true wisdom is all about. 

I believe James is right. My favorite part in this scripture is "...quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry..." James states that we must "listen", and I love that. I believe in todays society we want to get our point across right away and never consider what other people are saying. So obtaining wisdom starts with listening. Then James says we need to be "slow to speak, and slow to become angry..." The interesting part here is that James never states that we should NEVER speak or NEVER become angry but rather SLOW to speak and become angry. James roconises that there are times were we should get angry and we should speak our mind. I take that to heart. It is great advice! 

So in a way James kind of supports my view of a "wise person". In Karate Kid Mr. Miyagi seemed quiet and dint speak a lot. He chose his words wisely and didn't let his emotions get the best of him. 

What do you think?  What comes to mind when you think of someone wise and do you think James is right? 

Square One (First BLOG!)

I never have done a blog before so bare with my writing. Anyways, I often think about wisdom. I know its a really weird thing to think about but I do. In tenth grade I began to accumulate gray hair. It has never bothered me. I thought it was pretty cool, but people would ask if I really had gray hair. Some people even asked if I knew I had gray hair haha. I know its a funny thing to talk about but gray hair is actually mentioned in the bible! It really cool.  In Proverbs 16:31 it states,

"Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by righteous life"

How cool is that? Im working on my "crown of splendor."  I know it sounds really corny and I joke about it a lot but I made me think, "What is Wisdom and how is it attained?"

So I'm going to blog about my attempt to attain wisdom this semester. The dictionary states wisdom as "the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise." So this blog is going to be about my personal experiences. Im going to talk about my beliefs and about my relationships with others. So thats where I am starting and I hope you enjoy it!

Fun picture ha