Dear Friends,
It seems to me… wisdom is the effectiveness of our vastly simplified abstract mental constructs of the world around us. As we age we hone those mental constructs to be ever more effective at allowing us to efficiently navigate the world we find ourselves in. It is not possible to recognize, let alone understand, all the intricacies of the world, our mental facilities are just not up to the task. As a result we simplify the world around us so we can function in it. Which is why we make mental constructs of the world. We cannot roll every bit of information into our minds about a chair… let alone the complexity of a human being. Wisdom then, is the functionality of the mental constructs we create to make sense of an overly complex world, and allows us to operate in it.
A mental construct is a mental image we hold in our mind’s eye about everything that exists. When someone says “bulldozer,” we immediately create in our mind’s eye an image of a bulldozer. Perhaps a Caterpillar D9. We picture a machine with tracks and a blade that pushes dirt. To us then, a D9 is the epitome of what a bulldozer is. But that is a simplified version of a bulldozer. A bulldozer has an engine that is different with every incarnation of a bulldozer, it may or may not have tracks since some have steel tires, it could have a blade but some have buckets, it could run on diesel but some run on gasoline or it may or may not be covered in a canopy. The point is, we create a mental construct of every noun, verb, adjective or adverb we know. The accuracy of the image is less important than the utility of it.
Think about all the information that is your dog. We all think we know that furred little rascally angel laying on the floor sleeping it’s life away. How complex is a dog anyway? Very. A dog is the result of centuries of breeding, he or she has a unique personality, some have fur and others have hair, they could have fleas, intestinal parasites or dog flu. That dog on your floor that kisses your face in the morning is far more complex than your mental image of it suggests. Moreover, the utility of that mental image largely determines your interactions with it, for good or bad. If you believe your dog is friendly, but it is not and bites someone, that is a failure of your mental construct. If your mental construct of your own dog is lacking in some way, that mental image is not a help, but a detriment to your relationship with him or her.
If those constructs are effective, then we get along well in the world, and if they are not we flounder. When our mental constructs are effective, they help us navigate the world with little difficulty, but when they are lacking in some important way, they become a hindrance. We spend our lives honing our mental constructs to be ever more effective and accurate. That is why an older person usually has more wisdom than a younger person… they have had more time to sharpen their mental constructs. We can therefore say, wisdom is the effectiveness and accuracy of one’s mental images of the world around him or her. Intelligence then is clearly different from wisdom, in that intellect is the ability to manipulate objects and ideas in our mind, while wisdom is the accuracy of our idea of the world.
While intelligence is a good predictor of who will gain in wisdom as they age, it is not the primary one. Openness to ideas, control of one’s ego, situational awareness, etc… are more important when it comes to honing one’s wisdom. This is highlighted by the fact that many people with advanced PHD’s cannot hold down a job and flounder in real life. They may be the smartest person in the room but their mental constructs of the world are deficient. The difference is in the effectiveness of the mental constructs they create. So take a long hard look at your mental constructs of the world. Are they helping you get ahead, making your relationships better, do they keep you happy or make you depressed? If so, change or hold onto them, as their effectiveness dictates.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
