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The Centrality of Wisdom

By Copthorne Macdonald,writer, independent scholar, and founder ofwww.wisdompage.comConsidering the complexity of the world situation and the large number of problemsthat humanity faces, the task of achieving a heaven on earth seems daunting. Wheredoes one start?

Is there by any chance a simplifying element, a focal point, a center from which theneeded changes can flow? I believe there is. That point of origin, that central source

which allows us to address any problem optimally, iswisdom. Wisdom is an all-purpose aid to creating heaven on earth. Whatever our life-focus happens to beamong those ten essential heaven-on-earth elements, wisdom raises the level of ourcontribution.Research has shed light on what wisdom is and what it is not.1 There is a growingconsensus that wisdom is a state of personal development which involves theacquisition of knowledge, but goes beyond it. Words of wisdom and wise behaviorarise from wisdom. But wisdom is not the products of wisdom. Wisdom is a mode ofcognition one rooted in perspectives, interpretations, and values. Wisdom is notabout facts per se; it is about the meaning of facts. It is about the significance of factsand their implications. Wisdom is a kind of meta-knowledge that helps us to make

better sense of the rest of our knowledge and to apply that knowledge in appropriateways. Wisdom does this 1) by relating our ordinary everyday knowledge to a varietyof contexts, 2) by viewing it from various illuminating perspectives, and 3) by

bringing into the decision-making process a set of values that seeks the good of thewhole and well-being writ large.

Values are at the heart of the matter. In an April, 1977 article inAmericanPsychologist, Nobelist Roger Sperry put it bluntly: Human value priorities...standout as the most strategically powerful causal control now shaping world events. Morethan any other causal system with which science now concerns itself, it is variables inhuman value systems that will determine the future. As we know, human values area very mixed bag. They range from selfishness, hate, greed, envy, and revenge to

wisdom-associated values such as empathy, truth, honesty, justice, cooperation,peace, compassion, universal well-being, creativity, and comprehensive knowledge.

None of us is totally wise or totally unwise. Even among children we see differences.Some kids are reactive and mean. Others are calm and caring. In the past, mostpeople considered the development of wisdom to be totally uncontrollable. A fewpeople became wise. Most didnt. It doesnt have to be that way. We now know that

wisdom can be developed intentionally. Research reveals a strong correlationbetween psychological/spiritual development and wisdom. Both psychologicaltherapies and spiritual practices can help us become wiser, and in Ken Wilbersassessment of the research, meditation has been shown to be the most powerfulsingle tool for advanced inner development.2 The exploration of our own psychethrough investigative kinds of meditation leads not only to a quiet, receptive mind,

but also to an appreciation of the laws by which our subjective life operates, ethical

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understanding, moral behavior, and the expansion of our circle of caring in bothspace and time.

Age itself doesnt guarantee wisdom. Monika Ardelts research3reveals greatdifferences among the elderly. It has also shown that dealing effectively with difficult

life situations can help develop wisdom. Many wise people have a history ofovercoming adversity. Like many others, they have faced great challenges in theirlives. But instead of feeling diminished and victimized by their circumstances, theydealt with them in positive ways and grew past them.

There are also numerous efforts these days to introduce education-for-wisdom intoschools from K-12 through university. Much information on all of this the natureand development of wisdom, wisdom research, and wisdom education can befound at www.wisdompage.com.So how do we move from personal wisdom to heaven on earth? In my view, by

introducing the values of the wise into the internal guidance systems of societysinstitutions. Groups of wise individuals would implant those values (and otheraspects of the wisdom process) in ways that insured, as far as possible, wiseinstitutional behavior on into the future.

I close with a question. Because the quality of our doing can only reflect the quality ofour understanding, isnt the widespread cultivation of wisdom absolutely essential forachieving a heaven on earth?http://www.wisdompage.com/HOE/HeavenEssay-Macdonald.html

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