WARNING: Don’t Let Wisdom Fool You
When I say the word “wise,” who do you think of?
For me, the first person that comes to mind is Dumbledore. It’s a little ironic though, as his name does begin with the word, “dumb.” But look at him (above).
It might just be my Harry Potter obsession, as I was deeply in love with Emma Watson (Hermione Grainger) for about a year of my life. But you have to admit, Dumbledore does look pretty damn wise.
What is it about him that makes him ooze wisdom? Why does every word that comes out of his mouth seem so powerful and enlightening?
While Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore has justly earned the title of “wise,” we typically tend to perceive older people as full of great knowledge and experience that we have not yet ascertained. It’s how we were raised. Mother always taught us to respect our elders, didn’t she?
I have recently begun to notice that this concept is so deeply ingrained in who I am. For the longest time, my mind wanted to believe that everybody older than me, even if it was just a year or two, knew exactly what they were doing and why they were doing it. Like they had some divine right of passage where an angel came down from heaven one night and bestowed their life calling upon them. I waited for years for that day in my life to come before I finally discovered that nobody actually knows what they are doing.
I kick myself in the ass for not making this revelation sooner. It has led me to believe in false words and to listen to people that I should not have listened to. No more though. I now recognize that there are two types of wisdom in this world:
the wisdom of fools and the wisdom of sages
If you haven’t heard these terms before, I’d understand, because I just made them up. Let me explain myself:
Wisdom of Fools
I give credit to an uncle of mine for allowing me to recognize that fools exist.
The moment I made this discovery, I was no older than a freshman in high school. I was at a family gathering and the subject of school grades came up in conversation. We had just finished dinner and a group of us were lounging in the living room. I had a half-deflated mini basketball in my hands, tossing it up in the air and playing catch with myself.
I have since changed, but at the time I was a very quiet, introverted person. I was more of a listener than a talker, and this conversation was no different. My uncle’s son Nick, who is a couple years younger than me, was a little more outgoing and wanted to declare that he was going to get all A’s during his next school year.
Now, Nick was not the brightest of students. It wasn’t like he was failing his classes, he just never really excelled. This particular night though, he felt confident enough to announce that he was turning a new leaf. I was encouraging him to do so, providing him with some helpful tips and reassuring him that it’s actually not as difficult as he might think.
My uncle, his father, ambushed the conversation. His voice rumbled like thunder with an anger so venomous, the room went silent. “Shut the hell up,” he said to Nick. “You are too stupid to ever get an A. Stop lying to everybody.”
I was blown away. I couldn’t imagine my father ever saying that to me, because he never would. He’s a good father who has always encouraged my brother and me that we can do whatever we put our minds to. This doesn’t make him special by any means, he has just done what every dad should do.
From that moment, I vowed that I would never degrade my child or anyone that looks up to me, no matter the scenario.
My uncle represents the unnecessary population of people who, through a combination of life experiences and utter ignorance, have developed a mutated view of the world. This view is one of negativity and disdain for all events in their life that did not go as planned. After years of believing that the world was against them, that their mother, the President, and the Easter Bunny screwed it all up for them, a toxic mindset has been developed that wants nothing but to corrupt the minds of anybody around them.
They truly believe that they are wise. That positivity is foolishness and their viewpoint on the world is more “realistic.” That life experience has gifted them the entitlement to share their foolishness with others.
I write this story to warn you, if you have not yet recognized that foolishness exists everywhere, even amongst your elders. Avoid these people, because they are wrong. They will try to tell you that the world wants you to fail. That chasing your dreams isn’t worth it because it’s only going to break your heart. That having a significant other in your life does nothing but hold you down. That kids are an inconvenience. That drinking is always a way to numb the pain.
Run away, for soon enough, you will be corrupted as well. It won’t be until you are old and grey that you finally realize what a fool you’ve been your entire life, when it’s too late to make a change and apologize to all the people you tried to drag down with you.
You must shy away from the fools and instead learn from the sages.
Wisdom of Sages
For every fool, there are two sages to learn from. Understand this when I tell you, you can never learn too much from these people. Don’t rest until you have gathered at least one bit of knowledge from each and every sage on the face of the Earth.
This would be impossible, but you get the point. Sages surround you. Talk with them. Open your ears and close your mouth, for they are about to provide you with a unique perspective on the world. One that you have not quite heard before.
A sage does not fit a certain mold. He is not a 115 year old wizard from a fictional children’s story. He is not a robust middle-aged billionaire with a mansion in Beverly Hills. He does not own property in Boca Raton and Lake Tahoe. He is not wealthy or famous.
The only qualification for a sage is someone that is happy and does his best to spread his happiness with others.
A positive mindset is one to be admired. Life is difficult. You will experience many failures. Things will never go the way you expect. You will get sick. Loved ones will die. Others will break your heart.
It is easy to look at life like it is against you if you let that toxic mindset take control. The sages that exude positivity are not foolish. They have been through the struggles of life. It’s just that, somewhere along the line, they recognized that hardships exist to strengthen us. They know that the mere fact that they are alive is a blessing. That they are clothed, fed, and protected from the elements on a daily basis are things they did not earn, but were gifted with. That loved ones in life are the greatest blessing that a human being could ask for.
As you read this story, I want you to think about yourself. If you might be the fool I described above, today is the day to change. You are only hurting yourself and the world. Do you realize how lucky you are?
You, my friend, are a miracle. Here are the statistics to prove it:
According to an article by Dr. Ali Binazir, published in the Huffington Post, the probability of you being alive right now is about 1 in 10²⁶⁸⁵⁰⁰⁰. That’s a 10 followed by 2,685,000 zeros.
As a comparison, it has been estimated that, on all the deserts and beach of the world, there are 7.5 x10¹⁸ grains of sand.
To put it another way, let’s say the entire population of San Diego (that’s 2.5 million people) were to do role a trillion sided dice. There would be a greater chance of every single person landing on the same number on one try than of you being born.
If you are not already in shock at the ultimate lottery you have won, here’s the cherry to the top of the sundae.
As you read this article right now, you are lucky enough to be blessed with the miracle of vision. To own a computer (or at least borrow one). To have a fully functioning brain that can miraculously intake and process information.
The point is, don’t waste this miracle of life spending it with negative people that do nothing but degrade you. Every single person you spend your time with should lift you up, praise you, encourage you, and make you believe that you can do anything you want to. More importantly don’t ever let yourself get to the point where your own hardships and struggles are expressed through negativity. The world does not need that.
Now go out and fill the world with sages.
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