The world we live in brings us tons of information on many channels. There is little time to see the flow just on the few subjects of greatest interest to us, much less time to be discerning about the source and reliability of the views and claims. Yet we must try for we are information driven beings and there is great potential power in even a slightly changed paradigm.
Life is full of choices good and bad. In fact, being human is about making choices continuously, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day.
EXAMPLE: Let’s say we decide we want and need to lose weight, but we love Krispy Kreme doughnuts. (If you have ever had one of these little fat balls hot, right off the belt, you better understand the addictive power of crack cocaine.) Even worse let’s say there is a Krispy Kreme shop on your main route of travel and you must pass it several times a day, each time feeling the tug to stop and have “just 3?, especially when the red HOT NOW light is illuminated in the front window. That light seems to be directly connected to your steering wheel. On some trips by the store when you are feeling strong and your belt is especially tight you can pass by , but too often you yield and steer right in. Then, some how you get exposed to the idea that you can make ONE DECISION versus MANY. This notion is new and is just information at this point, but you ponder the point and begin to see the value in deciding to completely stop eating donuts until you reach your desired weight. That’s one decision with benefits to you. You contemplate it over a bit of time and remember it, embracing the truth of the concept. The idea of implementing ONE DECISION and stopping the donut flow has become KNOWLEDGE (defined as truth remembered), but nothing good has happened yet because there has been no ACTION.
WISDOM is a word with an action component. Our lives are made up of the actions we actually take…..not what we want, what we intend, what we ought to do and should do, not what we could have done……life is what we DO. So, we decide to really stop eating donuts for a time (one decision) and we then contemplate how to implement the concept. We look at the maps and figure out alternate routes to avoid going by the donut store all the time. Voila, beneficial action. WISDOM and benefit.
This idea of the differences between information, knowledge and wisdom is helpful as we navigate the flow of information coming at us. What are the sources of valid information that we then want to retain and claim as true, and which begins to influence our actions for the better? The volume of information is a great benefit of our era if we approach it with this type of system.
It is all about that little voice inside. Mastery of it is my goal…a work in process.
