Monday, July 25, 2011

Wisdom vs Knowledge

I had a wonderful working vacation. Evenings at the lake, family visiting from across the state, campfires, stories, fishing, sleeping in, baseball on the radio. Life couldn't have been better. Unless, of course I didn't have to commute back and forth to work every day. But, that was even OK because I worked less than 8 hours a day when I usually work 10 to 12. Hot weather and cool water make a great combination don't they?

Some of my time was spent in discussions with a long time friend. He's going through some health issues that although they are not life threatening, they certainly are painfully cramping his abilities. He's gone from doctor to doctor to find some way of reversing or at least slowing the progression of his "old age infirmities", as he call them. He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know. He spends hours and hours a day learning about things I didn't even know existed. We can be talking about any subject and he knows the whys and wherefores concerning every facet of its existence. I admire that. However, he has one glaring problem. He's so very smart and has not one ounce of common sense. He often mistakes his knowledge for wisdom. They are, unfortunately not the same. I have knowledge of those things which concern me. Not much about those things that don't. I think that I have inherited a great deal of common sense, or wisdom though. Let me explain what we talked about and you decide.

He has a muscular/skeletal problem which he defines as a disease often striking older people. For some reason he chooses to not be too specific about it. He says that there is nothing that can be done so he had resigned himself to being without much of his physical abilities. He "was done trying," he said. I explained that I could only guess how difficult it is to be going through so much pain and immobility. However, I was raised and still believe to this day that it never hurts to keep trying. After several conversations he decided to try a new thing that some "Quack" came up with. It was an exercise and didn't cost him a dime. He did the exercise and within a 12 hour period he felt stronger and could move his arm. Other things happened after that.

I feel it's a mistake to think that knowledge brings wisdom. Knowledge told him any further effort was useless. Wisdom told him that he had nothing to lose. He's having a better day because he's just a little bit wiser. Never give up trying............
 
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