My mother used to say, "If you put your mind to it, you can become anything you want". To a point, that statement is true. If provided with the needed resources and opportunities, most people can become doctors, lawyers, academics, air traffic controllers, etc., etc. Yes, if a person desires to become an expert in almost any field, they can achieve success IF they discipline themselves to do the necessary work to make it happen.
There's only one exception I can think of -- No amount of training or study will make any of us a wise person, a sage.
I don't know about you, but I've known quite a few geniuses in my day who seemed bereft of even a lick of commonsense. Such a person could dazzle you with all kinds of complicated calculus and theoretical formulations, yet, at the same time, make some of the dumbest everyday decisions imaginable.
Obviously, IQ and wisdom don't necessarily go hand in hand. This certainly is not to suggest that smarts don't make wisdom possible, but book smarts and life smarts are two completely different animals.
Further, none of us can really plot out a course to wisdom. In fact, I dare say, if a person sets wisdom as their goal, they probably will never find it!! Wisdom is borne when we least expect it. We tend to gain more of it when we screw up. Unfortunately, if we decide to screw up in order to gain valuable wisdom, it will probably evade us completely.
As Lao Tzu pointed out on more than one occasion, the truly wise person isn't even aware of his/her own wisdom. Such a person is too busy living their life than to stop and pin a label on themselves. Such a person knows that, if a person trumpets their supposed wisdom to others, then that person isn't half as wise as she/he thinks.
When we get down to brass tacks, the wisdom label is something that is bestowed on a person by others and that label will dematerialize the moment the supposed wise person becomes full of themselves. So, if you want to be wise, don't try to be and maybe -- just maybe -- you will be.
There's only one exception I can think of -- No amount of training or study will make any of us a wise person, a sage.
I don't know about you, but I've known quite a few geniuses in my day who seemed bereft of even a lick of commonsense. Such a person could dazzle you with all kinds of complicated calculus and theoretical formulations, yet, at the same time, make some of the dumbest everyday decisions imaginable.
Obviously, IQ and wisdom don't necessarily go hand in hand. This certainly is not to suggest that smarts don't make wisdom possible, but book smarts and life smarts are two completely different animals.
Further, none of us can really plot out a course to wisdom. In fact, I dare say, if a person sets wisdom as their goal, they probably will never find it!! Wisdom is borne when we least expect it. We tend to gain more of it when we screw up. Unfortunately, if we decide to screw up in order to gain valuable wisdom, it will probably evade us completely.
As Lao Tzu pointed out on more than one occasion, the truly wise person isn't even aware of his/her own wisdom. Such a person is too busy living their life than to stop and pin a label on themselves. Such a person knows that, if a person trumpets their supposed wisdom to others, then that person isn't half as wise as she/he thinks.
When we get down to brass tacks, the wisdom label is something that is bestowed on a person by others and that label will dematerialize the moment the supposed wise person becomes full of themselves. So, if you want to be wise, don't try to be and maybe -- just maybe -- you will be.
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