The relationship between age
and wisdom is one that many people have pondered since humankind began. Their
relentless quest for wisdom on many different levels, has led to the
question, “Does age really bring
wisdom?”
If that were true, then in
order to obtain wisdom, one would only have to age.
When would aging begin?
Would it start at conception, birth,
in early or later childhood, in one’s teen years or when one becomes a young,
middle-aged or older adult?
Obviously, life begins at conception, as does one's age in the womb.
It would appear to be an
erroneous assumption to conclude that wisdom starts at any specific age. For
example, if one suggests that wisdom begins at the age of six months, that implies
every child less than six months of age has no wisdom, which is not be true
depending upon one’s definition of wisdom. If wisdom only begins at age eighty,
many people would be in trouble, as not everyone lives that long or longer.
Wisdom may be something like
love, that lies dormant within the heart and mind of every human being,
regardless of his or her age. In other words, each one of us has wisdom
potential inherent within us, regardless of what age we argue wisdom begins.
The World English Dictionary
defines wisdom as “the ability to think and act
utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and
insight.” (1)
Even the youngest infant can
demonstrate understanding, as he or she responds to his or her mother. The
oldest person demonstrates the same abilities, too. These
abilities can increase with age or decrease.
If one asks whether there
an exact age at which one can have wisdom, no one can answer that
question.
There are other understandings
of the word wisdom. For example, wisdom is “accumulated knowledge,
erudition, or enlightenment.” (2) Each has to be interpreted in its own context.
The word wisdom in the archaic
sense, as “a wise saying, or wise sayings or teachings” (3) has other
implications. Sayings or teachings may be wise, but according to whose
judgment? Human judgment can be erroneous.
According to this definition or
in this light, age may play an important role, as one can acquire more and more
of these kinds of sayings or teachings, as one’s age increases. They may
be forgotten at any time.
Another problem herein
lies in the reality that not everyone ages graciously. Thus, not everyone
accumulates wise sayings or teachings or if they do, they may not employ them
in such a way that others are able to recognize them as wisdom.
The World English Dictionary
offers an obsolete understanding of the word wisdom, within the context
“soundness of mind”. (4)
In our current era, the
soundness of mind factor associated with age, is becoming increasingly
questionable, as more and more individuals experience memory loss diagnosed as
Alzheimer’s Disease, often in conjunction with dementia.
Note that this is not
necessarily something new or different in the history of humankind. Senility
and associated memory loss, is as old as the history of man. Even the wisest,
elderly person can suffer memory loss or have distorted memory that is
a temporary or permanent condition.
Matthew Arnold’s quote, “Thou waitest for
the spark from heaven!” (5) may resolve
the issue of the relationship between wisdom and age, as this interpretation of
the word wisdom leads to an understanding of wisdom in terms of
enlightenment or revelation.
This kind of wisdom is not
limited to the elderly, as it may be evident in younger individuals like Paul
in the Bible. It may occur in the case of children like Samuel, also in the
Biblical context, but is not likely to be the kind of wisdom infants acquire at
that age.
In other words, age is not
necessarily a factor in acquiring wisdom.
“Does age really bring wisdom?”
If so, how many years should
one expect to wait?
In the Biblical context, God’s
Holy Spirit brings divine Wisdom on a higher plane, to those who wait upon the
Lord. Wisdom is found in every culture in association with the Divine, but not
necessarily in association with one’s age.
1.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wisdom
2. Ibid.
3.Ibid.
4. Ibid.
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