Wisdom: A quick reference guide

Sabbatical

2008-09-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am away on another project that is taking way too much time. I have a few unfinished blogs I need to update. Please stay tuned.

Deciding on a course of action

2008-06-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

We covered two of the four basic steps of the mind introduced in a previous post.

Read the surroundings the body is in
Pick a best possible rule to apply for the situation
Decide on a course of action
Physically direct the body

Having chosen a best rule to apply in the given situation, the person now has to choose between different courses of action each with it's own probability of a favorable outcome.

The action with the lowest odds for a favorable outcome provides the greatest opportunity for growth. There are no guarantee of a favorable outcome even when the chosen action has the greatest odds for favourable outcome.

Deciding on a course of action is a personal choice and is usually a reflection of a persons personality. A wrong choice of action is the one that provides no opportunity for growth or a favorable outcome for the person.

Wisdom helps in balancing growth and favorable outcome. Wisdom does not guarantee a favorable outcome all our lives but improves our chances tremendously.

To decide a course of action a person needs knowledge of the situation, possible outcomes of various actions, a understanding of the various causal relationships involved. Common sense can comes in handy in new situations. Knowledge makes this step a lot easier.

Once a course of action is decided, implementing that action has it's own challenges. The next post will discuss the last step taken by the mind before it starts with step one again.

Applying rules

2008-06-01T04:23:00.000-07:00

The second step on the working of the mind is the application of rules to situations.

A rule is a simple statement of cause and affect. We all have a repertoire of rules in our minds and we pick rules from this repertoire to suit the surroundings and our emotions. These rules by necessity are generic in nature because we never know what situation we will be in a future moment.

Because these rules are generic and are usually derived based on information outside of us,

I call them "Universal Principles". Most of these rules are formed from our own individual experiences and learning from others. Sometimes, we come up with a new rule and check it out if it works.

Very few people that have the luxury of time and intellect are able to contemplate on the rules they use in their daily lives.

Awareness of these universal principles is necessary to make sure we are picking the right one for the circumstance. Wise people over time, have made statements ( proverbs, words of wisdom, rules of conduct ) that people have followed as rules for long periods of time. These statements are general true and hold true in most circumstances.

Most of the time application of these universal principles to situations happens automatically like any other habit and the intent is always for gratification of life.

Understanding the universal principles is critical to ensure appropriateness of the application.

There are always more than one principle that could be used. The number of rules that come into play is directly related to the complexity of the situation.

We also have another set of rules about the rules themselves to help us in more complex situations. We call these rules. VALUES.

Values help us sort through the myriad of rules we can apply in a complex situation. Sometimes, talking to others, help us decide which rule to pick in a trying situation.

So to be good at step two, we need to be aware of all our rules, have a consistent set of values to resolve any confusion in the choices we make about the rules to apply.

Reading the surroundings

2008-05-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

The four basic steps of the mind introduced in the previous post are:

Read the surroundings the body is in
Pick a best possible rule to apply for the situation
Decide on a course of action and
Physically direct the body

For the brain to function efficiently all the four steps should be accurate and timely.

Reading the surroundings can be broken down further into sensing, perceiving, feeling and emoting. The details are not that important here. The final result of reading the
surrounding is an "emotion". Human beings are capable of many many emotions to varying degrees. This is what makes life exciting.

It is possible for the mind to read the surroundings (interpret the feelings inaccurately resulting in an inappropriate emotion ) triggering a behaviour that may not be best suited for survival.

Fear of the surroundings and lack of trust in one's mind is the biggest reason why people fail to read the emotions correctly. The second guess both the feelings and the conclusions. This is because, initially when we are kids, our accuracy is very low. As we grow older we become better and better at reading the surroundings. Because we witness so many failures to read the surroundings, it is natural to be afraid and skeptical of our emotions.

To be wise, one needs to start taking immediate steps in regaining the trust in ones' mind and letting go of the fear of the surroundings.

It only helps to delve into the details of sensing, perceiving, feeling and emoting only if we are dealing with someone who has severe problems learning to trust their mind and
are very scared of their surroundings.

There are many many theories on the various things I discuss here. Some of the topics received scholarly treatment from experts in the field. Each topic very interesting in it's own right. For someone to be wise, it really doesn't matter how exactly a person feels or emotes. We have to learn to recognize if the emotions are accurate and timely or not.

How does life work?

2008-05-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

To learn to be wise, we need to look inside oursleves and also look at the world outside. Let's start with how to look inside first.

Understanding how the mind works is essential to figure out how to look inside us.
The heart pumps blood. The lung breathe air. The brain minds the body.

The brain is constantly working even when we are asleep. There have been numerous studies that show at brain activity even while we are asleep. It controls the body and brain is part of the body. This controlling of itself is what makes "mind" the most interesting organ in our bodies.

It's important to know that the mind is just like any other body part. All these parts, work to keep us alive. The mind is really no different. It is designed to keep us alive.

We can abuse our lungs by smoking and similary, we can abuse our mind. Sometimes it is not by choice. For example, if a child grows up in a household, where people are constantly smoking, the kids lungs will be ruined. Same thing with the mind, if the mind develops in an unhealthy environment, it is not going to be efficient ( wise ).

To be wise is to be efficient with our minds. The function of the mind is very simple and it repeats it's basic steps over and over and over again just like the lungs and heart.

The minds function can be defined in four simple steps.

1) Read the surroundings the body is in
2) Pick a best possible rule to apply for the circumstance
3) Decide on a course of action
4) Physically direct the body

And then back to step 1 over and over again. Night and day. Non-stop.

All this is done to keep the body alive. Healthy hearts and healthy lungs have a healthy pace. They shouldn't be working too hard or too little. The mind is no different. There is a healthy pace for the mind too.

Techniques like yoga, meditation, relaxation manage the pace of the the mind, heart and the lungs.

Stay tuned for more on each of these four steps.

Learning wisdom

2008-05-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wisdom is the ability to identify the most applicable universal principle in a timely manner to a particular situation so that a choice can be made.

The ability to apply universal principles to particular situations is something we all have.
This ability is innate in all human beings. We see children learn, at a very early age, applying principles to situations to make choices. The minds innate choice is designed to gratify the individual.

Examples of universal principles are: "Telling lies will get me into trouble", "If I am a good person I will go to heaven", "I will succeed if I work hard", "It's better to be honest than dishonest".

Learning wisdom is simply learning the applicability of universal principles to various situations and see their efficacy and impact on individuals and societies.

In the case of an individual, the set of Universal Principles used are in fact that person's beliefs. The individuals choice of actions (intent) reflects the beliefs. Actions along with the intent reflect the persons experience.

The first prerequisite for being wise, is the awareness of one's own Universal Principles. The relationship of various universal principles between one another and the impact of those principles on one's own life. Applying and testing these principles in ones life makes one wise. This is why most wise people are self-actualized as defined in the humanistic philosophies.

The second, prerequisite is the ability to abstract universal principles out of the environment. Ability to critically think about the rules, knowledge, conditions, theories, proverbs that make the world what it is. This is the reason why wise people are very curious and open and usually well read.

To learn to be wise, start looking inside and outside of you.

Importance of Wisdom.

2008-05-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

For humans to survive, the heart has to pump blood, the lungs have to breathe, brain has to control the body and the mind has to choose.

Some choices are made consciously and some are automatic. A conscious choice made repeatedly over a period of time makes it automatic. Such choices are called habits. Avoiding choosing consciously is an automatic choice for what is familiar. Avoiding choosing can also become a habit.

Growth implies constant positive change. Nothing changes if the choice is for the familiar.

Wisdom is the ability to identify the most appropriate universal principle in a timely manner for a particular situation to facilitate choice.

People who do not learn this ability will be confined to familiar situations and familiar principles just for survival. Safety and security become paramount.

All human beings are equal in their ability at the time of birth including those that are born with physical challenges. As can be seen here, there are many inspiring musicians with physical challenges. It means that, in a proper environment, capacity to achieve a greater potential exists in every human being.

Wisdom makes human growth possible which in turn causes people to realize their potential.

People often do not like to choose but the life situations around them keep changing. They need wisdom just to survive in a new and different situation. Learning to survive in a new situation is growth.

Hence, Wisdom is an important ability possessed by all. This ability is the source of all growth from the personal to the global. Wise choices promote growth and unwise choices cause destruction and no choice causes stagnation.

We are not born with wisdom but how do we learn this ability?

You will see my answer in the next post.

What is wisdom?

2008-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Wisdom is the ability to choose the most applicable universal principle in a timely matter to a particular situation so that a decision can be made.

We generally understand what it means to be wise, most people can differentiate a wise decision between and an unwise decision and most people can recognize a wise person. However, very few of us can readily explain what wisdom is.

For example, most wisdom seekers have an idea of what is meant by the phrase "uncommon common sense". Try coming up with an illustrative example.

In many societies people seek the advice of an older person or a religious or a spiritual mentor when they are in a dilemma. Mentors guide us by giving us the right principle to resolve our dilemma. Mentor is wiser than the mentee and the mentor passes on his wisdom to his mentee. Mentors are usually more knowledgeable than the mentees.

This is why wisdom is often thought of as some superior form knowledge, and sometimes as a collection of proverbs that illustrate a deeper understanding of things around us. Witty statements of an irony of life are considered wise. Wisdom is NOT any form of knowledge.

Having said that, Wisdom is akin to any other ability we learn. For example, we can learn how to ride a bicycle. In the same manner, we can learn to be wise.

What is more likely to happen when people do not know the importance of learning to be wise?

You will see my answer in the next post.