Getting Old Ain't For Sissies 9

Does wisdom come with age?  Not necessarily.  Can wisdom come with age?  Yes.  Should it?  Definitely.

So, what does wisdom look or sound like?  How is it acquired?  What, exactly is wisdom, anyway?

I tend to associated wisdom with stillness or silence.  There is always an element of hope and faith in it.  Rather like a tiny candle emitting a huge flame in a dark place.  It is knowing when  to speak and when  to stay quiet.  It is knowing what to say and what not to say.  It is knowing what deed or act would be more appropriate than  the corresponding words.

I cannot imagine wisdom without also thinking of love and truth.  Wisdom loves unconditionally but also with disinterest.  It is disinterested love in action.  By disinterested love, I tend to mean the love that is not in it for the self-interest of the lover, but only for the benefit of the beloved.  Wisdom sees, or looks for, the whole picture and in a way Wisdom is the process of integrity, the dynamic that fits all things together in a living harmony.  Wisdom understands and embraces paradox and Wisdom comforts and reassures, Wisdom strengthens and emboldens and Wisdom calms and soothes.  Wisdom sees and loves the essence, the true essence of beings, be they human or others.

Wisdom is kindness demonstrated in equal measure and equal share towards others and self, because the Wisdom of love sees no difference but regards the wellbeing of one as the wellbeing of all.

Wisdom is as hard as it is soft and as vibrant as it is still because Wisdom always molds and shifts its form to accommodate the situation and the need while maintaining its essential integrity because Wisdom is also integrity.

Wisdom is warm to the cold and cool to the hot because Wisdom is balance.

Wisdom knows when to smile and when to be stern.  Wisdom knows when to laugh and when to weep, when to dance when to stand at attention.

Wisdom is warm, kind and funny, but will never laugh at the expense of another, because Wisdom is neither cruel nor cynical.

If these are the characteristics of the wisdom of age then this is what I long to acquire, and if I have acquired already this wisdom it is only because I have finally learned humility, and if I have really learned humility, then may I be the last one to know as I move forward into the beauty and grace of age.