Patrick Mosher defines wisdom as soundness of act based on knowledge, experience, and good judgment. He breaks it into three pillars: deep learning, firsthand encounters and reflection, and discerning diverse options without bias. Wisdom only exists when shared.
Chapters
Wisdom is the soundness of act or decision based on knowledge, experience, and good judgment. What I love about this definition is that wisdom isn't a gift that only the Dalai Lama has or old folks have. It's an act or decision, which means wisdom is in the world. Wisdom moves things forward through actions and decisions. The definition also gives you the quality of wisdom: soundness. Soundness means stable or solid. It won't move. You don't spin on wise decisions or actions because they're solid. I also love that soundness indicates sound. Soundness is transmitted and heard. Wisdom transfers from one being to another. I was sharing this definition of wisdom at my Machu Picchu Wisdom Council and explaining it as I've done here in this blog post. I was inspired by that magical place, and this sentence fell out of my mouth: Wisdom isn't wisdom until it's shared. Wow. Pause for a second and let that sink in. Wisdom isn't wisdom until it's shared. Well, with that settling in your soul, let's continue with this powerful definition of wisdom. Wisdom is the soundness of act or decision based on knowledge, experience, and good judgment. This definition tells you how to acquire wisdom by gaining knowledge, acquiring experience, and applying good judgment. Do you want to decide and act with wisdom? Well, go get it. So let's start with knowledge. Wisdom comes from learning deeply and continuously. Do the research. Know the roots of words that you use. Deeply understand the causes you support. Don't carelessly retweet and repost Does a wise person neglect to research data sources before passing along influential data? And let's go with experience. Wisdom comes from experiencing the world. Go out and have a life-altering experience. Allow a child's smile or pretty butterfly or the sweet smell of a fresh rain change the trajectory of your day. Reflect and learn from your experiences. Build your life skills. And if you can't learn something fast enough to move forward, access firsthand experience by hiring a coach or advisor who can guide you through the experience you lack. Lakota scouts of the Great Plains had a very important role. They would leave the tribe and search for buffalo. Food. When they reported back to the tribe, they were asked how many buffalo they saw. No guessing or estimating here. They reported exactly what they saw. The tribe trusted their lives on the accuracy of the scout's report, of his firsthand experience. Accumulate valuable experiences and then share generously. And then thirdly, good judgment. Wisdom means learning from decisions, both good and bad. To make wise decisions, discern from diverse options. Missing critical options with a narrow focus or limiting beliefs may make life simple, but not wise. Diversity and inclusion, then, are critical in making wise decisions and taking wise actions. They stretch our thinking and stretch our very core being. Does a wise person ignore the complexity of a person's situation before they pass judgment? No. And we are seeing that happen all too often in our world today. And then finally, let's look at the word decision. Do you know the root of the word decide? Think of all the words you know with the root word of -cide in them. C-I-D-E. Oh, it's alarming, isn't it? Side comes from Latin, to kill. To decide means to kill off. Yes, the word decide literally means to kill off options. And from the simple definition of wisdom, you can make a wise decision or take a wise action with these simple steps. Do the research, which is knowledge. Gather relevant first and secondhand experience, which is experience. And consider diverse options, which is good judgment. Then analyze past decisions, both good and bad, and choose, which is a sound decision. And then move forward without looking back. No regrets. And that's sound action. No looking back. No regrets. Won't that feel great? And that's wisdom in action, my friend. Shine boldly, share generously, and change the world for good.
