Wisdom from the Bible, Plato, and Spock

So. I wrote a paper today on wisdom. It is around 750-ish words. I think it is pretty awesome because I quote the Bible, Plato, Norman Cousins [whoever that is!], CAPTAIN PICARD, and SPOCK. I adore Jean-Luc Picard, Spock, Data, Riker, Bones, and James T. Kirk. It delighted me to no end that I could have quotes from characters from The Original Series AND The Next Generation.

Someone help me. As in my tweet earlier... #nerdalert! Haha. I also used the #bestpaperever hashtag. :D Which makes me even more of a nerd, I think. Anyway... here is the paper!







Wisdom is regarded as a positive and even ideal trait to have by most people. It can be used or ignored in every situation. When someone makes a bad decision, their friends or parents often tell them that it wasn't very wise. Many people spend years trying to gain wisdom, and others seem to be born with it. The many writings and quotes on wisdom show us how valuable it has been to societies for many years. Well known writers, philosophers, and religious experts have all had sayings or phrases about wisdom attributed to them. Plato wrote that, "Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools talk because they must say something."

Religion has been a major part of wisdom's background. In Christianity, the Bible story of King Solomon asking for wisdom is one of the more well known mentions of the subject. Many people say that he was the wisest man on Earth. King Solomon was believed to have written most of the book of Proverbs. The great saying, "A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger," can be found in Proverbs 15:1. Books upon books can be found on the subject of wisdom. My mother owns one entitled Wisdom for the Way: Wise Words for the Busy Soul by Charles Swindoll. It is a fairly new book that was published in 2002, but it contains older excerpts from the Bible to strengthen its claims. It quotes from the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, showing that wisdom is deeply rooted in the foundations of Christianity.

Other religions such as Islam and Buddhism greatly value wisdom. The Qur'an states that wisdom is one of the best gifts that humans can have, and that Allah gives wisdom to who he will. In Buddhism, wisdom is described as a person who has good bodily, verbal, and mental conduct. Taoism describes wisdom as knowing when the right time is to say the right things.

The opposite of wisdom is acting stupidly. Wisdom is not foolishness. People who are wise do not make decisions without thinking and discerning which course of action is appropriate. It is never wise to make rash decisions. Some people call this going off half-cocked, especially when you are angry. There are even rare situations where it is not wise to obey an authority figure. In Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard once said, "There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders." In that situation, Picard had been ordered to forcefully displace a whole race of people from their planet similar to when the American Indians had been forced on the Trail of Tears.

The more people that you ask, the more definitions you will hear about wisdom. While they might not all be correct, wisdom has many different facets. Another word for it could be discernment. Wisdom is being faced with a decision, and discerning which is the best course of action based on the choices you have in front of you. I also agree with Norman Cousins, who said, "Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences." If you know that the consequence of speeding in your car is potentially crashing or getting pulled over by a cop, then you should use wisdom and drive the speed limit. Wisdom, for Christians, is also about our morals. It could be defined as making decisions that line up with our moral convictions. It is also defined as putting your knowledge to use. As Spock said in Star Trek VI, "Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end."

I use wisdom in my everyday life, especially while I'm working. My job is teaching people, especially younger kids, to ride horses. I have to use wisdom to keep my students safe. For example, it is wise if I use mellow, well-trained school horses for my beginner riders, especially the smaller ones. It is also wise to require my students to wear helmets and teach them safety precautions. Another every day, simple way to use wisdom is getting dressed after watching the weather report. If it is cold and snowy outside, it is wise to wear a heavy coat and several layers of clothing to keep warm. Likewise, if it is rainy it is wise to wear a raincoat or carry an umbrella. From ancient history to modern times, and even into the imagined future, wisdom is an ideal trait to have and we should all be constantly striving for it.