WISDOM

Fr Jim Cogley

We live at a time when knowledge is increasing exponentially, and we have all that we need of it at the touch of a few buttons. One teenager made the comment that she was part of a generation ‘that was never so connected and yet never felt so isolated.’ This is because knowledge is not wisdom. Knowledge teaches us about life while wisdom teaches us how to live in a manner that brings peace, contentment and fulfillment. There is something about wisdom that while it doesn’t live in the future it is still future orientated with an awareness of what is transitory and what is real. It is so much more than a bunch of sayings; rather it is a timeless quality that is fully grounded in the here and now, it has its roots in the past and yet has a starlike quality. In the Old Testament when King Solomon was taking over from his father David, he found himself young and inexperienced. He felt God was inviting him to pray for whatever he wanted, and it would be granted. So, he prayed for wisdom, and it was so entirely to God’s delight that He made him the wisest king that ever lived and as a bonus gave him everything else, he could possibly have asked for.

Wisdom, while being very grounded, always has an eye to the future. It is a strict disciplinarian that doesn’t allow us to drift through life aimlessly as if we have all the time in the world to waste on trivial pursuits. Wisdom daily reminds us that our being here on this earth is not by chance and that we have a purpose to discover and a path of destiny to pursue. It reminds us that a death bed conversion while it may get us into heaven might still the waste of a good life where the slow pace of soul maturity and the discipline that it takes was never given consideration. Wisdom demands that we so live as to be true to ourselves, to our purpose in life and to our destiny. Wisdom tries to keep us on a path that leads to ever increasing life and doesn’t allow us to hibernate in the cave of unawareness or to dwell too long in the cul-de-sacs of guilt, resentments, anger or judgment.

‘Make us know the shortness of life that we may gain wisdom of heart’. This is a beautiful prayer from one of the psalms. Having wisdom of heart reminds us of many things, not usually of that which may seem urgent, but more of that which is important. It reminds us of our Soul purpose, of our Soul value and of our need for continual Soul maintenance. As we get older and experience time running out faster like a toilet roll as it comes to an end, we will question if our life was all about us, or was it part of a bigger picture? As I get older my better self will review my life and critically evaluates what it is truly thankful for. Perhaps it will not be the long hours spent working but the way I chose to relate to others and how good I made them feel. It will never regret the countless acts of kindness and generosity, the way I used my money wisely to help feed and house others. Certainly, it

will never chastise me for taking time out and doing whatever it took to discover and pursue my soul’s purpose.

Wisdom may take years of quarrying to uncover. It yields its rewards not in the pursuit but in the acquisition. Then something that may have taken years to realize can be transmitted to another in just moments in a manner that they can hear and have it make a difference in their lives. For example, 'to daily do something that one day your higher self will thank you for’, is an invitation to a disciplined and wise way of life with long term rewards. Or ‘to always reflect on your life and see that where you have come from without awareness is also where you are going and perhaps might be right now’. This is a wonderful invitation to live a life of awareness and not to remain asleep in the illusion of unconsciousness where someone else is always to blame for my misery and misfortune.