LAST time we started talking about wisdom. We saw the indispensability of wisdom, that there is really only one problem in life – the problem of wisdom. Wherever there is wisdom problem, foolishness and foolish things are the result and there is absolutely nothing foolishness cannot destroy. Wisdom is the cure for foolishness, frustration and failure in life.

Wisdom is an issue we must give great premium to. We must give the acquisition and utilization of wisdom top priority in our lives if we want our lives to count. Foolishness is dangerous and only wisdom can adequately and decisively deal with and eliminate it. Wisdom is a multi-dimensional subject that we all have to spend our life time to study, acquire and put to use. Success in any endeavour in life demands accurate application of wisdom and any failure in life can be traced to lack of wisdom or an inappropriate application of wisdom.

Wisdom will empower us to accurately and effectively answer what I call the six basic questions of success in life. The more accurate we can answer the questions the more effective and successful we will be in whatever we do. The answers to these questions are a function of wisdom.

The six questions are what (which deals with what our dreams, desires, aspirations and goals are); where (deals with location – there is always a where – location - for every what – dream or desire. The third question is when (which deals with the issue of timing) – there is always a right time for whatever we want to do. Who deals with the issue of personnel – no dream can ever be executed alone, we need personnel, we need people. The last two questions are the most difficult to answer as they demand a higher level of wisdom. Most people can answer what, some can answer where, few can unravel when but only very few can answer accurately how and a significant few can answer why.

How (deals with the issue of strategy - the right way to execute what has been planned, the modalities needed to translate dream to reality). Why talks of motive- the very essence for doing what needs to be done. Wisdom is the “solution provider” to these six basic questions. When wisdom is not in place there can be no answers to these questions and the result is foolishness steps in and we end up doing foolish things.

There are many dimensions to wisdom. There is the dimension of the gathering of facts, the acquisition of knowledge. This is the beginning point of wisdom. We must have a hunger to know which should be translated into the commitment to acquire knowledge. There can be no wisdom without knowledge. We must know where to get whatever knowledge we require. Knowledge can be acquired through people or in certain places (library, internet, conferences etc).We must do all we can to get to the person or place where the knowledge we require is available – wisdom is hardly ever acquired by staying put where we are without making an effort to go after knowledge.

The acquisition of knowledge is not enough to get us by in life. There are numerous people in life who are extremely knowledgeable but are going nowhere fast with what they know. Much as knowledge is important, success does not answer to knowledge alone. We need to move to a higher dimension of wisdom.

(To be concluded next week)

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