Reflections Vol. 3: Dangerous Wisdom

Wisdom is becoming even more valuable for its scarcity. Hmmm. That’s not exactly true, because I see wisdom in people who are facing the changes and choosing who and how to be. The wisdom I had in mind was that of people who have lived a long time, have the scars [healed and unhealed] of the mistakes that taught them better, and changed the ways they did things so as not to have to go through it again. Learning doesn’t always come easily. Sometimes we don’t pay attention the first time around. Maybe we don’t want to believe what the lump in our belly or the sense of unease that warned of storms ahead was telling us. Sometimes the reasons pushing us forward are so powerful, we can’t not continue, even if we know it’s not the best thing to do. I learned that early on, but it took confronting the same stuff in different garb for me to get it. I’m used to be a slow learner. Wisdom pays attention and does what needs to be done to direct life in a desirable direction.

So…what is "Wisdom?"

This is what Dictionary.com says: the quality or state of being wise

I live where most of the normal business of everyday life is still conducted in cash. Buying food. Paying rent and cell. Eating out. It is so much easier to manage. It’s a relief, actually, so much easier to keep track of spending. Of course I still have a credit card and I use services to transfer money from one place to another. I love ebooks and podcasts, the first voraciously, the podcasts selectively.

My relationship with time is completely different than when I went to a corporate job every day – although those jobs [and clear strategy] are why I love my Life in this moment so much. I have flow in my life. What I do is based on how I feel. That includes whether my body doesn’t have energy for another single step – although I don’t let it get depleted, when I have a choice. I know my limits – and I know when to push a little beyond what I think are my limits. Equally important, I’ve learned when I need time to process – to think about something, feel into the energy of what’s happening, note what feels right and what doesn’t. I feel who I am if I do XYZ. And I practice not being mean to myself, giving myself comfort and approval. I save time for important things, like communing with Nature. My family teased me – ugh! – "Barbe’s communing with Nature again." And yes, I do it even more now than then. It’s as necessary for my health and well-being as the right food and home.

These are but a few examples of many:

How do you "entertain" yourSelf? Are you addicted to screens and the creations of others that convince you of their version of reality? Do you enjoy live music, even if it’s less polished? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying an performance so magical it becomes a stamp on the timeline of your life. But neither is singing together, even if slightly off-key, with folks who are just into music. The question Wisdom asks is why do you enjoy one or the other. Be honest, don’t listen to judgments disguised as "shoulds," and give yourself what brings you genuine joy, rather than what simply keeps your attention diverted from the important stuff.

Are you working at something that compromises your values to pay for something that is already meaningless? Think "appearances." Would you really rather wear comfortable clothes, or frivolous clothes that your work uniform? Is a big house, with all the effort required to make it comfy, keep it clean – yada yada yada – a good exchange for the time and energy you invest? What would it be like to care less about your image and more about your happiness? For example, what would it be like to live in a smaller home, where you know where everything is?

Can you tell yourself the truth about whether it’s hunger to believe in a loving Source, a hunger for Love expressed through another Being, or a hunger to love yourSelf? This is where things get real. This is the core of Wisdom, the kind of Wisdom that chooses what your heart really wants instead of what the world tells you you should want.