"Much madness is divinest sense
To a discerning eye."

Emily Dickinson

Wisdom is about how we live in the world; it’s a quality of mind that allows us to distinguish what is important and valuable from what is not.

In addition, wisdom:

• Helps us realize that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
• Encourages us to contribute to a common future.
• Supports generosity of spirit.
• Helps us to work in the world in positive and healing ways.
• Gives us a greater sense of who we are and how we fit in the world.

Paradoxically, wisdom helps us take a detached perspective on the events around us. At the same time, we find ourselves more engaged in life and more able to enjoy it, as we seek to pass on what we know is valuable, free from the constraints of constant self-interest.

Cultivating Wisdom

Since I began interviewing thoughtful and insightful people on wisdom and doing grounded theory research on it a few years ago, I have arrived at different ways of thinking about wisdom. One image is a tree. Picture a tree: you see the trunk and branches, the leaves, and the fruits. Further, you know that the roots are there too, even though you can't see them; they provide nutrients, water, and stability.

These parts of the tree represent the four major components of wisdom: The trunk and branches stand for Discernment, that is, deep insight and deep understanding. The leaves, which interact with the environment, blowing in the breeze and photosynthesizing sunlight into energy, represent Respect, which is about compassion and caring. The fruits that the tree produces fall on the ground or are carried away by the wind or by birds and grow into new trees. This is Engagement, where wise decisions or actions contribute to the common good. Finally, the roots symbolize Transformation, a complex dimension of personal integrity, self-knowledge, and the growing recognition of the interdependence of all things. Just as a tree cannot continue to live without the organic unity of all of these parts, neither can wisdom thrive in a person without these four elements.

For a more detailed explanation of the model of wisdom that I have developed, please see my article entitled "Emergent Wisdom: Living a Life in Widening Circles" in ReVision: A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation (2005, 27, 4, pp. 6-11). You can find it here. If you would like to read more on learning for wisdom, see my article "Wisdom in Three Acts: Using Transformative Learning to Teach for Wisdom."  You can find it here. In that article and also below, you will see this model of wisdom as a color graphic and then as a chart, which you will be able to read better.

WISDOM
Dimension	Discerning (Cognitive)	Respecting (Affective)	Engaging (Active)	Transforming (Reflective)
Chief Characteristic	Objectivity	Openness	Involvement	Integrity
Proficiency	Insight Holistic thinking, systemic seeing into complexity Balanced interests	Multiple perspective- taking Compassion & caring/ empathy/ love Generosity of spirit/ non- judgmental	Sound judgement & adept decision- making Actions based on determinations of fairness & justice Moral courage	Self-knowledge Self-acceptance Perspective on self as part of systems
Manifestation	Deep understanding of fundamental patterns and relationships	Sense of gratitude/ Expanded sphere of consideration	Committed action for the common good	Embracing of paradox & uncertainty/ Ability to see beyond the self/ Growing recognition of interdependence
Developmental Stimulus/ Learning Prompt	What's really going on? What's true? What's important? What's right?	Whose point of view am I taking? How does someone else understand reality? How can I relate to them with magnanimity?	What guides my actions? To what ends are my action directed? What means do I use?	What are my values? How do I live them? Who or what is the "I" that I think I am? What am I part of?
Emergent Wisdom © 2005 Caroline Bassett

Becoming OtherWise™
Coaching for Wisdom

Most of us admire and look up to people we consider wise, or wiser than we are. We often seek their advice about difficult life problems, usually going to a technical expert for advice in more specific practical areas, such as a doctor, a stock broker, or an accountant. It is the complex problematical areas that require the characteristics of wisdom. For example, how do I deal with my addicted brother in such a way that he can be more self-sufficient and not as dependent upon me as he is now? I want to help him out, but right now his emotional and financial demands have been depleting me. In other words, how do I balance my needs with his? What is right to do in this case?

Do we have to throw up our hands and seek out someone who can help us, such as a therapist or a teacher? Or are there ways that we can cultivate and call upon the wisdom that we already have?

I believe that wisdom can be purposefully fostered. Is it easy? No. Is it quick? No. Is it worthwhile? Yes! Like all good things in life, it requires time, effort, and support.

Here are some steps that can start you off. Each one requires intention, attention, and practice, going to deeper levels of self-awareness and resulting in the ability to make increasingly adept decisions. In the coaching process, we deal with these and other topics, thinking them through in a variety of ways and coming up with workable solutions or approaches with the result that we can act with a largeness of spirit that allows people to live, work, and act in the world in positive ways.

1. Realize that wisdom is not one thing. Take a look at the Emergent Wisdom model and its expanded, more easy-to-read version in the table. All of the parts connect with all the other parts. This means that while you strive for more objectivity and discernment in how you look at problems or situations, you also need to take multiple perspectives compassionately on the situation at hand, and exert moral courage in doing the right thing, for example.

Let’s get more specific.


2. Know that what you think and believe is only your own story or version of “the truth.” A friend tells me about her divorce. I remind her that this is her point of view, that this is her story, not her ex-husband’s. She insists that, “No, this is the way it is.” Reality is much too complex for any of us to have the complete picture of it, ever. If you can remember that your story is only a story, then you hold less tenaciously to one certain viewpoint and can better see the nuances of the whole. At the same time, you will become more objective and balanced in your understanding of how patterns and relationships function.
3. Reflect on your experiences. Then, analyze them. What happened? What went right? What went wrong? What could have been done differently? What might the results have been? What do you wish you had done? Could you have done that? Did you keep your focus on what is important? How can you be more able to see the big picture and know what priority or weight to give things?
4. Along the same lines, constantly ask yourself in whose interest an idea or opinion is.
5. Look around you for instances of wisdom and folly/foolishness, wherever you are—in your own life, in books, the news, movies. What seems wise to you? What seems like its opposite? What are the qualities that separate them? What would it take to make the folly wise?

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