Wisdom is a term not understood in all the seriousness and comprehensiveness it involves and deserves. Rather in a loose manner, many a time and by many an individual, wisdom is treated as something equivalent to smartness. Being smart is only a small part of wisdom. Wisdom encompasses every aspect of our whole life. It reflects and manifests through every pore of the entire life we live from the time we cross childhood. Our eating, our dating, our affluence, our idiocy - practically every filament of our being has something to do with the wisdom we acquire and cultivate.
Wisdom is the sum total of one's intelligence, knowledge, experience, logic, and sense of proportion. This list of ingredients is not final! Surely, there is the spice of what is known as lateral thinking that adds to the recipe called wisdom.
Knowledge is basically information we gather through education, observation and experience. Intelligence is the fruit of knowledge. Intelligence makes us discrete, selective and cautious. Through intelligence, we arrive at solutions to complications we confront in personal and professional spheres.
Experience is the byproduct of a transaction we handle. Deft management of matters is skill. Skilful control of life's transactions with experience as the background is maturity. If a tube light in our bedroom is not glowing, checking up what is wrong - whether the fault lies with the starter or the tube or the supply switch - is knowledge. Setting right is skill before applying the commonsense of reassuring supply. And doing the whole job using proper gloves and tester is maturity!
Knowledge need not end after the education curriculum is completed. What remains after completion of study is education. Acquiring knowledge traverses essentially through the labyrinthine channels of:
i) Agreeing with what is taught
ii) Being neutral
iii) Opposing what is being imparted &
iv) Getting changed with what is taught and learnt.
Seeing beyond the opaque and visible can be termed as logic. Logical thinking and behavior lead us to safe and comfortable destinations in life. Logic functions as a speed breaker in our tumultuous and speedy journey of life. 'How can it be like this?' is the fundamental query in bringing in logic into life.
The other important component of wisdom is lateral thinking. Lateral thinking is extending thought and planning with a bit of unconventionality. At times lateral thinking could appear as being over smart.
Nevertheless, a pinch of lateral thinking certainly adds to the flavor of life. Trying it in recommended doses need not be shunned.
To sum up, wisdom is the total of lateral thinking, logic, presence of mind, experience, intelligence and knowledge. The sequence of these components could be however shuffled depending upon the situation
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