Very scarcely now-a-days do we every come across the word wisdom, yet knowledge is widely available.
Knowledge: According to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knowledge - Knowledge means:
1. acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition: knowledge of many things.
2. familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning: A knowledge of accounting was necessary for the job.
3. acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight, experience, or report: a knowledge of human nature.
4. the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension.
5. awareness, as of a fact or circumstance: He had knowledge of her good fortune.
6. something that is or may be known; information: He sought knowledge of her activities.
7. the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time.
8. the sum of what is known: Knowledge of the true situation is limited.
9. Archaic . sexual intercourse. Compare carnal knowledge.
–adjective
10. creating, involving, using, or disseminating special knowledge or information: A computer expert can always find a good job in the knowledge industry.
—Idiom
11. to one's knowledge, according to the information available to one: To my knowledge he hasn't been here before.
Wisdom: according to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wisdom - Wisdom Means:
1. the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
2. scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of the schools.
3. wise sayings or teachings; precepts.
4. a wise act or saying.
5. ( initial capital letter ) Douay Bible . Wisdom of Solomon.
The above definitions are not the end all, be all, however it is generally accepted that these constitute what the words mean overall.
Now, if you take notice that knowledge is simply what is a "fact", or what is accepted as "fact". It is acquired from a wide array of various sources and readily available by simply viewing, experiencing or from learning. While on the other hand, Wisdom, as pointed out in #1 of the definitions, is more that simply gaining knowledge, but actually doing something with it, making it more refined, of a higher "quality" than simply just getting something in one form and keeping it that way.
For example, you can get a book and just read it and understand what it says, or you could read the book and build a boat from the instructions learned, then from that new ability, you can give wisdom to someone else who is embarking on the same journey and advise them on the pitfalls, shortcuts, and other experience you may have gained along the way of building this boat.
Wisdom is NOT in much abundance in any society. Especially very highly organized and refined wisdom is kept in close circles and shared with only those who would be able to appreciate this important data and use it at its full potential.
So next time you gain some knowledge, it may be wise to look into how you could use that knowledge to your advantage in some way. Dont just store all that information in your memory with no apparent use for it. We are "information hogs" by nature, and although this can be a good thing, it is also a bad things when we cannot decide for our selves what is important knowledge and what can be expanded upon as wisdom.
Knowledge: According to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knowledge - Knowledge means:
1. acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition: knowledge of many things.
2. familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning: A knowledge of accounting was necessary for the job.
3. acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight, experience, or report: a knowledge of human nature.
4. the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension.
5. awareness, as of a fact or circumstance: He had knowledge of her good fortune.
6. something that is or may be known; information: He sought knowledge of her activities.
7. the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time.
8. the sum of what is known: Knowledge of the true situation is limited.
9. Archaic . sexual intercourse. Compare carnal knowledge.
–adjective
10. creating, involving, using, or disseminating special knowledge or information: A computer expert can always find a good job in the knowledge industry.
—Idiom
11. to one's knowledge, according to the information available to one: To my knowledge he hasn't been here before.
Wisdom: according to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wisdom - Wisdom Means:
1. the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
2. scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of the schools.
3. wise sayings or teachings; precepts.
4. a wise act or saying.
5. ( initial capital letter ) Douay Bible . Wisdom of Solomon.
The above definitions are not the end all, be all, however it is generally accepted that these constitute what the words mean overall.
Now, if you take notice that knowledge is simply what is a "fact", or what is accepted as "fact". It is acquired from a wide array of various sources and readily available by simply viewing, experiencing or from learning. While on the other hand, Wisdom, as pointed out in #1 of the definitions, is more that simply gaining knowledge, but actually doing something with it, making it more refined, of a higher "quality" than simply just getting something in one form and keeping it that way.
For example, you can get a book and just read it and understand what it says, or you could read the book and build a boat from the instructions learned, then from that new ability, you can give wisdom to someone else who is embarking on the same journey and advise them on the pitfalls, shortcuts, and other experience you may have gained along the way of building this boat.
Wisdom is NOT in much abundance in any society. Especially very highly organized and refined wisdom is kept in close circles and shared with only those who would be able to appreciate this important data and use it at its full potential.
So next time you gain some knowledge, it may be wise to look into how you could use that knowledge to your advantage in some way. Dont just store all that information in your memory with no apparent use for it. We are "information hogs" by nature, and although this can be a good thing, it is also a bad things when we cannot decide for our selves what is important knowledge and what can be expanded upon as wisdom.
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