Issue 369 Characteristics of the wise July 1, 2014

What are the key characteristics of the wise?  I think I know what they are.  So let's discuss.

On thought:  When a wise person obtains new information, they listen.  It is the unwise that ignore information or outright dismiss it.  In short, the unwise will choose to remain ignorant.  However, the wise man/woman will say to themselves "I have never thought of it that way before."  The wise man/women seeks knowledge and understanding as they believe that they are right, but know still that they could be wrong on those issues, facts or opinions.  So they open their minds to all information, process it and then see if they come to the same conclusion they had previous, or if their opinion has changed.  Wise people do not regret having the wrong opinion either as they are instead great full that they were able to gather the information to improve upon themselves.

On Intentions:  A wise person can also see through others intentions.  In essence they can perceive the motivations behind what people say and do.  This is something that comes with a wise men/woman's ability to accept and process new information.  If the wise man/woman is incapable of absorbing new information even if it is counter to their own, then they will not have the ability to judge why and how people present certain information and opinion in a specific way.  As such, once a person absorbs information they can then gain the ability to make judgment calls based on how and why people talk and act a certain way.  In fact they may even be able to see why, over time, those other people’s opinions change based on how society itself changes. Interesting right?

Conclusion:  I hope that I am a wise man.  Though I think that I like debate more so I have my doubts.  But I enjoy learning and I know, depending on the subject and how it is presented, you all do too.  So all that knowledge that you accumulate throughout your life, no matter how small, means something.  You, one day, can be wiser and you will be.  It’s just that some people limit themselves which makes it a much slower process.