Wisdom is More Than Accumulated Information

By Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr.

A wise person is a well-informed individual. Yet, the mere accumulation of information does not necessarily constitute wisdom.  You may go to school for many years and learn all kinds of important and legitimate facts; you may devour important books and benefit from what you find in them. But wisdom is acquired differently and it entails other factors!

Throughout my years I’ve encountered several persons who had an impressive academic baggage, but by observing their life and the decisions they often made, it was most obvious that they were devoid of true wisdom!

By the same token, I’ve also met quite a few people who had no academic credentials; some had not even finished elementary school. Nevertheless, in their dealings, in their demeanor, and by the results of many of their transactions, they demonstrated what wisdom entails.

Ultimately, wisdom is the preferred path one should follow, the most important possession for one to acquire. It is reached through careful thinking, followed by sound choices led by that process. It entails gains as well as losses, additions but also subtractions!

One cannot accept whatever is said or written without first analyzing those ideas through a pre-established grid. Wisdom is reached by intelligent comparisons and contrasts; it demands solid discernment between a variety of options; it can never be attained without a prior understanding of the potential consequences of every action taken!

Wisdom needs not to be limited to a small segment of the human race. It is available to any person regardless of age, anyone who seeks it diligently throughout life, and is eager to incorporate it in all the decision-making processes, and in every aspect of one’s daily living, in things great or small!

The Author of Life is also the Giver of Wisdom which He does not deny to anyone who diligently seeks it from Him. Like most products we utilize, it must be followed in accordance with the prescriptions offered, lest it ceases from being wisdom. It enables its practitioner to view life more realistically and to arrive at conclusions never before imagined. Among all credentials anyone could ever display, wisdom is the most essential and absolutely necessary!