Reflect

Children’s stories are full of characters who supposedly aren’t so smart but have great wisdom. The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz laments, “If I only had a brain,” but is eventually crowned “the wisest man in Oz.” And it is said of the owl in Winnie the Pooh, “Owl hasn’t exactly got Brain, but he knows things.” In these stories, wisdom is demonstrated by the characters’ ability to pay close attention, be curious, listen, and reflect. Wisdom, of course, is also shaped by book learning and lived experience, but it is not those things themselves. It is a quality of knowing that is part learning, part wonder, part humility, part insight, part discernment — and somehow larger than any one of them alone.

In today’s world, we seem to confuse what’s easy to measure with what’s most valuable. The most likes on social media, the highest-paid position in a company, or the biggest house can elevate someone’s social status or even catapult them to fame, giving them a platform to offer advice or influence public policy. Quick decisions, aggressive language, and emphasis on the quantifiable overshadow the discernment, care, and understanding our world so desperately needs.

Making space for wisdom to emerge takes commitment and time. We can seek and cultivate it by slowing down, attuning to our own hearts, and learning from elders, history, books, and spiritual leaders. The beloved ethologist Jane Goodall points out how intellect alone is insufficient for ensuring our collective future. “Wisdom,” she says, “involves using our powerful intellect to recognize the consequences of our actions and to think of the well-being of the whole.”

This week’s practices invite you to respond to the world from a place of wisdom, both your own and the wisdom of others.