Defining Wisdom
The Serenity Prayer has been my favorite prayer my whole life.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.
What exactly is wisdom? You don’t really think of terms like this until it is brought to your attention. I used the dictionary to find out the exact definition because sometimes it helps to get to the deep root of a word in order to understand it.
Definition of wisdom Merriam Dictionary
1 a: ability to discern inner qualities and relationships : INSIGHT
b: good sense : JUDGMENT
c: generally accepted belief challenges what has become accepted wisdom among many historians
— Robert Darnton
d: accumulated philosophical or scientific learning : KNOWLEDGE
2: wise attitude, belief, or course of action
3: the teachings of the ancient wise men
Choose the Right Synonym for wisdom
Noun (1)
SENSE, COMMON SENSE, JUDGMENT, WISDOM mean ability to reach intelligent conclusions. SENSE implies a reliable ability to judge and decide with soundness, prudence, and intelligence. a choice showing good sense COMMON SENSE suggests an average degree of such ability without sophistication or special knowledge. Common sense tells me it's wrong. JUDGMENT implies sense tempered and refined by experience, training, and maturity. they relied on her judgment for guidance. WISDOM implies sense and judgment far above average. a leader of rare wisdom
For me, wisdom is going through experiences in order to have the knowledge to deal with it differently the next time it comes up. Once I have this wisdom, I know how to proceed and take the next steps to go in the right direction. If I hadn’t been through all of my dark past, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have the wisdom to know that I want to be where I am in this life right now and not where I was. I am reaching an intelligent conclusion based on my past experiences.
When it comes to the Serenity Prayer, I must have serenity, courage, and wisdom. Serenity is simply being able to sit with myself, untroubled, knowing I have God guiding me. Courage is having strength in the face of pain or grief. I must do something that scares me or makes me uncomfortable. By doing these things, I am gaining experiences that give me the wisdom to know whether or not I can make a change.
What wisdom do you have today from a past experience that you wouldn't otherwise have? How do you use your wisdom in your everyday life? Do you believe that you have the wisdom to know the difference between the things you can and cannot change? How does the Serenity Prayer affect your daily life? These are all questions I ask myself today, and I answer them differently depending upon what I am going through.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
― Aristotle
