What Chuck Does

Affliction - Wisdom

“Wisdom is the accumulated knowledge to recognize things for what they are combined with the internal peace to let things be” - Charlez

I’ve been thinking about this quote for a couple days now and it’s a reflection of one of the great dilemmas of life. To start, I don’t think people aspire to be wise, I think it’s just one of those things that you naturally acquire with age. And it’s a great virtue.

Or is it?

When we’re young, society teaches us to (as the Dos Equis commercial says) “Stay thirsty my friends”. We’re supposed to be dissatisfied with the world around us so that we might desire to affect change and make the world “better”. In fact to need to have great aspirations is something that is instilled into our children at a very young age and later TV shows like Heroes exploit that inner desire to be “destined for something greater” and to “Save the world”. How many times were you asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Which begs the question: If we’re constantly in a state of discontent, then how will we ever become “wise”? And if someone is wise as defined by the quote above, is that not simply a lack of ambition in life? Are wise people done with life and ready to die? Does wisdom mean that you’re done with changing the world because you accept everything as is?

I used to think so.

My paradigm used to be black and white and no shades of grey. I think the point that is being missed by the argument above is that wisdom doesn’t mean you’re done changing the world or are ready to die, but instead refers to the sense of peace that comes with being “one” with the world around you. To have experienced enough to know that each experience is independent of another and to preempt yourself from “judging” each new experience. To no longer be at odds with everything you come across. To know that you are part of the greater whole and not feel like a misshapen piece of a jigsaw puzzle. To see more similarities in people than you see differences.

Wisdom is less like contentment and more like enlightenment. It is like wanting nothing (Buddhism) but still being able to change everything.

So I renounce the idea that wisdom = complacency and leave you with the famous Serenity prayer.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference.” – Alcoholics Anonymous’ version of the Serenity prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr