Wisdom: what is it?

I don’t think that wisdom comes with age.
I think that it’s innate. You either have it, or you don’t.

Maybe more a case of learning from mistakes over the years?

It’s also an incredibly wide reaching concept.
In some regards I feel that I am indeed quite wise (eg a very good judge of character) but in others, totally un-wise (eg a tendency to catastrophise)

Wisdom is a combination of experiennce and, as FannyCornforth says, something innate built into people.

We all know people, who throughout their lives. make bad decisions and never seem to learn from their mistakes, and know teenagers, who are thoughtful amd seem wise ahead of their years.

I think wisdom builds up over years of careful reflection. I think it does come with age, but not for everyone.
Fanny, I’m with you on feeling that I have built up lots of wisdom, but can trip back into catastrophising too.

My question is, do we start to lose wisdom when we develop certain illnesses eg advanced dementia, late Parkinson’s ?

My dm was a very wise woman having built up wisdom through life experiences. She was great to reflect on things and gain wisdom and actually learn from situations. . She developed Parkinsons which got progressively worse over a ten year period but there was no reduction in her capacity for wisdom. In actual fact due to, perhaps, what she ad learnt coping with the illness and the time spent not engaging in busyness due to being incapacitated she grew in wisdom,l believe.
She was always a quiet person who read people very well and while being unable to completely join in as her illness progressed managed to assess situations very well from her quiet position.
It was only in her final weeks that all this disappeared.

You paint a lovely picture of her qualities florence.

Wisdom is not knowledge, it’s emotional intelligence.
It does improve with age and experience but it’s sadly lacking in so many people.

I think wisdom is in many ways linked to longevity, due to one gaining experience from life's events. But unless that experience is used in a helpful and understanding way, then wisdom is absent. I agree it is emotional intelligence and if some people worked at that for a decade they would be no closer.
I love the expression "pearls of wisdom", something precious.

Wisdom is not knowledge, it’s emotional intelligence. but it’s sadly lacking in so many people.

And the older I get, the more I believe this to be true.

Widsom, i feel is a combination of it already being in your make up and learning from mistakes as we age.

The fact that there are some very wise young people can not be linked with the age brings forth wisdom.

Wisdom for me is knowing when to keep quiet.

Kim19

Wisdom for me is knowing when to keep quiet.

I'm just off to school to impart wisdom to my year 5s for the morning. They think I have it in spades!

Josiann year 5s really are the best aren’t they? ?
Just before the hormones create havoc and they lose the plot

There are so many facets to wisdom. You describe your DM as a wise lady Florencelady and she demonstrates perfectly how she became wise. She reflected on situations and then made decisions. I can see her as being a calm person throughout her life and not making quick judgements. A thoroughly beautiful person.

I see wise people as being good listeners, able to steer away from difficult situations and remain cheerful, never arrogant and probably quite humble, never reckless and standing back from confrontations to assess the situation first.

One facet that does come with age is patience and perseverance. It is sad that the latter two can disappear in our later years. I feel I'm heading that way.

To have all these qualities OldScallop makes wisdom very valuable.

No nursery and reception are the best fanny, one of them offered to help me to my feet the other day. I am only in my fifties but it was cute

With age comes experience. Who ever / what ever/ we are never to old to learn.

Wish I had it, I’m far to impetuous. My daughter however, the youngest of my three children is the wisest person I know.

FannyCornforth

Josiann year 5s really are the best aren’t they? ?
Just before the hormones create havoc and they lose the plot

Luckily just French and History today, Fanny so I could look very knowledgeable on both accounts.

There was a lot of discussion at lunchtime in the staffroom, however, about chopping bottoms of doors! Someone said, "NS in her infinite wisdom ....." and my ears pricked up to realise that the word wisdom can also be used ironically meaning stupid.

Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom is knowing not to put it in your fruit salad.