“To the ‘practical man’ the [philosophical questions] may seem irrelevant. But in fact they are not. It is in the light of our beliefs about the ultimate nature of reality that we formulate our conceptions of right and wrong; and it is in the light of our conceptions of right and wrong that we frame our conduct, not only in the relations of private life, but also in the sphere of politics and economics. So far from being irrelevant, our metaphysical beliefs are the finally determining factor in all our actions.” Aldous Huxley in Ends and Means
Dana Sawyer “Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper. Living the World’s Religions. The Authorized Biography of a 21st Century Spiritual Giant.” Fons Vitae, Louisville, KY, 2014
Wisdom is far more profound than intelligence or long-term practicality. However, wisdom in it's deepest sense, is seldom considered or discussed these days. Though there are many exceptions, overall we tend to stumble a bit closer to wisdom with age. Many consider themselves wiser than their behavior would suggest. Wisdom is complex - perhaps the most profound, critical concept we have. Wisdom is the highest human goal, the most evolved way of being. The major religions have been called "wisdom traditions", though the vast majority of both clergy and their followers have minimal knowledge or interest in wisdom. Only a small minority of monks and mystics devote their lives to a disciplined practice of intentional self-transformation towards "sainthood", "enlightenment" ie wisdom. Wisdom is “a developmental process involving self-transcendence. Self-transcendence refers to the ability to move beyond self-centered consciousness, and to see things as they are with clear awareness of human nature and human problems, and with a considerable measure of freedom from biological and social conditioning. This ability to move beyond a self-centered perspective is certainly an important component of wisdom. Consistent with this idea, … transcending the self is needed to move beyond ingrained, automatic ways of thinking, feeling, and acting, and to connect empathetically with the experiences of others.” Le TN, Levenson MR. Wisdom as self-transcendence: What's love (& individualism) got to do with it? Journal of Research in Personality 2005; 39(4): 443-457.
According to Buddhism, all of us can and should do our best to become wise. The clearest description and explanation from this perspective that I’ve found: Smith R. “Awakening. A Paradigm Shift of the Heart.” Shambhala, Boston, 2014.
There are many other wisdom paths - one to suit every individual: Aboriginal, Hindu, Kabbalah, Christian, Sufi, & many other fine authors eg Joseph Campbell, Laurence Freeman, Thomas Keating, and Huston Smith. Atheists also recognize the critical role of wisdom: Sam Harris. "Waking Up. A Guide to Spirituality without Religion." Simon & Schuster, 2014.
Intentional
pursuit of wisdom - by whatever path best suits the individual - is the most effective way to minimize causing suffering to oneself & others, and maximize
one’s own & others’ quality of life.
No path toward wisdom is quick or easy. All require: • mindfulness • ethical conduct; • progressive letting go of
self-centeredness, materialism & other forms of
distraction; • increasing empathic engagement with others and the environment. So why bother to even consider taking such a challenging, life-long journey? Because at some point, everything else will disappoint with respect to feeling: real, authentic, meaningful, valuable, satisfying, joyful, peaceful. One would reasonably assume that wisdom occupies a central place in our education system. Sadly, it's virtually absent. Why?
Everything we think, say and do has, or had, some perceived benefit in our life. Even the vilest, most reprehensible forms of human behavior have, or had, someperceived benefit in the perp's life. Mindfulness training helps us see, with increasing clarity, what we're thinking, saying and doing now, and whether our current way of being is appropriate to our current circumstances. The "momentum of our life" has a lot of momentum! But inevitably, our old ways of thinking, speaking and behaving become "old", losing both their charm and effectiveness. Objectively looking at these, compassionately letting go of what clearly was beneficial in the past, but is no longer, and trying better approaches makes perfect sense. Of course there will be things that we're already doing effectively - great, we can do more of these. See clearly; be kind; do less of what doesn't work; do more of what does. Sounds reasonable.
"take the counsel of the wise. We would be foolish to overlook their immeasurable knowledge and skills. But ... (we should) test the teachings in the fire of our own lives. Listen to them, weigh them, and investigate them. It is for each of us to understand 'why do I suffer so much?' 'how do I relate to the world around me?' or 'what brings joy to life?'"
Larry Rosenberg. Three Steps to Awakening. A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life. Shambhala, Boston, 2013.
How often do we hear an uplifting story or an interesting plan of action quickly drowned out by someone's pessimistic or sarcastic putdown? Cynics believe that their worldview is accurate, and assume that the rest of us can't see how harsh life really is. Fear, anger & aggression dominates such peoples' lives - the egocentric, adversarial approach. And yes, life is indeed brutish in this primitive, yet all too common mode. The 2013 movie "August: Osage County" nicely illustrates this mindset within a family. This quality of relating is also common in the world's troubled hotspots, where groups have been slaughtering each other for generations. They clamor for revenge, "make the enemy pay", "make them suffer"! They don't understand that "doing more of what doesn't work, and expecting different results" is not just unreasonable, but the definition of insanity. But suggesting to either side that the "eye for an eye" approach hasn't, doesn't & won't work evokes indignant rage! Leaders of such warring groups may inspire rabid followers, but their obvious lack of emotional / spiritual intelligence ensures severe continuous widespread suffering. All the wisdom traditions guide us to let go of egocentric, adversarial orientation and open ourselves to a loving, nurturing relationship with all of humanity, all creatures, all of the world. This requires a qualitative shift in our operating system - from reptilian, to homo sapiens sapiens. From the evolved homo sapiens sapiens perspective, our more common, reptilian (fear-based egocentric adversarial) way of being appears ridiculous - and vice versa! Therefore, many aspects of mindfulness may initially seem somewhat puzzling or even counterintuitive.
When one starts practicing Mindfulness meditation, it's a bit like taking a mini-vacation to a far-off land, where everything is different. When the few minutes of practice end, vacation's over, & it's back to "the real world". Meditation practice may thus initially seem like a brief escape to a pleasant, idealistic never-never land. Too many of us, out of fear, firmly believe (& behave accordingly) that survival in the "real world" demands a very different proactively aggressive approach. A popular poster in the 1970s showed a cave-man-like brute carrying a huge club, with the caption: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall
fear no evil, because I'm the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the valley." The practical necessity of primitive brutishness, and therefore, impracticality of an evolved approach like mindfulness is a surprisingly common, deeply-heldmisconception. Furthermore, stress, like ethanol, can instantly shut down evolved judgment (prefrontal cortex), and suddenly we react (brain stem) as primitively as our cave-dwelling ancestors or cornered wild animals.
People are drawn to meditation practice when they recognize that their usual approach is failing to bring them deep, lasting meaning & satisfaction. People continue withmeditation practice when they experience how effective it is.
Mindfulness is a universal human capacity that fosters clear thinking & openheartedness. The goal of mindfulness is to maintain awareness moment by moment, gradually & progressively developing a greater sense of emotional balance &
well-being.Ludwig DS, Kabat-Zinn J. "Mindfulness in Medicine." JAMA
2008; 300(11): 1350-2.
If meditation is practical & powerful for the people in the documentary below, it can work in your world.
Instinctively, when we hear advice on what to do, or how to do something, we tend to take the contrary position - something in us wants to do the opposite. Call it stubbornness, resistance, noncompliance, dragging our feet - we don't appreciate "shoulds", rebel against rules, and resent being told what to do! We like to learn from our own experience, despite the inevitable mistakes. Mindfulness is all about experiential learning. Mindfulness methods are to be tried and experienced in our own life, practiced more if helpful, and let go of if not helpful at this time. The instructions are handed down from a long line of serious practitioners who've benefited from and have continuously refined this practice - it's all about what works best. When you experience the benefits from practicing, you know it's working.
Why do so many appreciate the concepts of mindfulness and ethics (a critical though seldom-mentioned component of mindfulness), yet so few consistently put these into practice? Is it because we tend to process concepts in real time, but our behavior tends to run on old scripts? The longer we actually practice mindful living - actually bringing mindfulness concepts into daily practical life - the more clearly we experience the radical difference between our usual autopilot trance, and alert, real-time life.
"... ethical choice cannot be captured completely in general rules because of the nature of ethical life. As with navigation and medicine (analogies Aristotle uses to make his point), “it is a matter of fitting one’s choice to the complex requirements of a concrete situation, taking all of its contextual features into account”. Ethical practice requires the application of general principles, but only insofar as they fit the particular situation at hand. There is not, and cannot be, a general formula for all occasions. Ethics requires, rather, the cultivation of the wisdom to be responsive in a morally imaginative way to the particulars of therapeutic encounters. One does not 'arrive' at being an ethical practitioner, code book in hand. Ethics is an ongoing demand that is always present, never-ending, and often confusing."
Austin W, Bergum V, Nuttgens S, Peternelj-Taylor C. A Re-Visioning of
Boundaries in Professional Helping Relationships: Exploring Other
Metaphors. Ethics & Behavior 2006; 16(2): 77-94.
Mindfulness practice "is about working on how we can do what we are already doing so that we do it more whole-heartedly, bringing our self fresh to each moment. This is not easy, because many of the moments of our lives are painful. We have only a little control over what life brings to us; often we can’t get what we want and we can’t avoid what we don’t want. This is the beginning of both psychotherapy and spiritual practice, since it leads us to the question of how we deal with what is in front of us." Rosenbaum R. Zen and the heart of psychotherapy. Brunner/Mazel, Philadelphia, 1998. http://www.zenqigong.com/Psych/
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