“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise.”
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is a great definition for intelligence.
I think it’s also a good basis for a definition of what we call ‘wisdom’.
Knowledge is fixed.
Wisdom is about how you modulate knowledge.
It’s about having the judgement to about judgement.
As The Serenity Prayer says:
“…the grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other,”
To have knowledge, you simply cling to a fixed point of view.
To be wise, you need to be able to hold two distinct points of view and modulate between them.
Be frugal, but spend on what matters.
Be demanding of yourself, but be kind to yourself.
Treat other people well, but don’t let them take you for a ride.
Life is longer than you think, and life is shorter than you think.
Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit.
And wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
