"Accumulated erudition & enlightenment". - Collins Dictionary.
By now I feel I should have acquired some. More importantly I should be capable of acting on my accrued wisdom & not responding emotionally or without thought of the consequences. At my age, following the path of Enlightenment (awakening to ultimate truth) & Karma (the doctrine of inevitable consequence), I should be a better person than I was.
I think I am - but I would wouldn't I? It's a subjective judgement.
What I'm wondering is whether every person of reasonable intelligence is capable of wisdom? The evidence would seem to point to the answer NO.
I'm thinking of what gets into the news. Politicians decisions, Dictators actions, Criminals offences etc etc...We seem to live in a world where human beings are very capable of acting without even common sense. Behaving in ways which cause really bad consequences for people & the world we live in, the environment. It is truly disappointing, distressing & destructive.
I'm all for Mindfulness, (being aware, heedful, in the moment). I try - it's hard.
But we can't just think of now. We have to think ahead. We have to try to postulate possible outcomes of our behaviour, both individually & collectively. We have to try to avoid bad decisions & consequences.
It seems to me we have become a society of immediate gratification & selfishness. To hell with the future. I'm a Granny. I can't think like that. I wish everyone could try to aspire to Wisdom.
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