If youāre like most people, you want to be smarter. Me too. And for good reason.
Our society rewards people for knowledge, which certainly has its benefits. But as a result, weāve set aside the pursuit of something far more valuable: wisdom.
We know how to do a lot of things but rarely stop to ask whether (or how) we should.
Knowledge put man on the moon, but wisdom will keep us from moving there and making the same mess we made on Earth.
Knowledge helps us sound smart at parties. Wisdom gives us something worth saying.
Knowledge will help us figure out how to live longer. Wisdom will give us a compelling reason to stick around.
At this point, Google and ChatGPT can tell us almost anything we want to know in a few secondsāour ignorance problem is being solved by artificial intelligence. However, wisdom doesnāt work that way. Itās cultivated over a lifetime by those with a posture of humility and a hunger for truth.
And thatās not most people.
The Mindshift š¤
Look back to go forward. Donāt spend all your time in the āHot New Releaseā section of the bookstore. Look for the classic ideas that still hold up, philosophies that have grayed but never faded. These are the goldmines of wisdom.
Get it in your hands. Wisdom is what happens when knowledge moves from our heads to our hands. Itās when we apply what we learn to our flesh and blood experience. Donāt just contemplate. Become.
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