Wisdom

I still treasure a conversation I had twenty years ago with an 8 year old class, on the question, What do we mean by a wise person? I have asked that question many times since of adult audiences, and rarely received sensible answers. If we focus education and schooling on becoming wise, this will last for the whole life of the child; if we focus our curriculum on "stuff" - information and knowledge - much of it will be out of date by the time they leave school, and some of it already out of date when it is taught. Yet the National Curriculum is stuffed with "stuff".

The instant answer of a bright 8 year old to my question was: 'a wise person is someone who knows a lot about most things, but who is humble and not proud and uses what they know to help other people'. This is the spirit of a learning community, a community of contributors, a willingness both to be coaches and mentors, and to be coached and mentored.

We might add other things, that they understand the limitations of knowledge, and its transience; that they understand principles and processes and not just information. An education in wisdom produces worthwhile contributors able to see what needs changing in our world, and willing to have a go.

Wisdom is about the quality of choices, based on respect for others and respect for ourselves. It is a balancing act, weighing up evidence and alternatives before deciding. It is about not assuming too much, or too little. So wisdom is a process, dynamic, a state of mind, and not a possession. Those who think themselves wise are unlikely to be so - wisdom is best recognised in others. It is of course unassessable, because every case is unique and fluid; but it is teachable, by wise teachers.