Reflection
We all have opinions and they are usually based on assumptions, previous experiences and ideas passed onto us by others. In our fast-paced world opinions are formed in an instant. We often find ourselves jumping to conclusions, convinced that we know the answer. The truth is our perceived wisdom can sometimes lead us astray. We might believe we understand a situation, a person, or an issue fully, only to discover later that we were mistaken. The consequences of these mistaken beliefs can be significant—relationships can be damaged, opportunities missed, and, most importantly, we can cause harm that’s difficult to undo. It is necessitary to question our own wisdom.
Adapted from Being Suspicious of Our Own Wisdom byMarilyn Turkovich
Prayer
Teach me wisdom and knowledge because I trust your commands.
Psalm 119:66
Actions
Seek out perspectives that differ from your own.Speak with people who see things differently and listen to their viewpoints with an open mind. Ask questions. Be willing to reflect on new information.
Suggested Readings
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1
It is not simply human wisdom, the fruit of knowledge and experience? The wisdom the Holy Spirit grants is the grace of being able to see things through God’s eyes. It is seeing the world, situations, problems, everything, with the eyes of God.
Pope Francis
We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.
Mary Catherine Bateson
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius
Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is doing it.
Thomas Jefferson
The wise person doesn’t give the right answers, but poses the right questions.
Claude Levi-Strauss
True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.
Socrates
Perhaps instead of bombarding God with requests for what is not, we might try, instead, asking God to open our eyes to see what is.”
Margaret Silf
It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
Mahatma Gandhi
We seem to gain wisdom more readily through our failures than through our successes. We always think of failure as the antithesis of success, but it isn’t. Success often lies just the other side of failure.
Leo Buscaglia
Arrogance diminishes wisdom.
Arabian Proverb