Part 08 - Wisdom: Asking Why

“Never, no, did Nature say one thing and wisdom say another.” -Edmund Burke

Wisdom: Asking Why

What is wisdom?

Where does wisdom come from?

Who is wise?

How does one attain wisdom?

When does one attain wisdom?

Why should one seek wisdom?

These are all questions, obviously. They represent the classics: who, what, where, why, & how. Each word brings a different type of answer. Let’s consider three:

What: identify/define

How: process

Why: purpose/reason

Here’s an example that I use with my students: I walk up to the classroom door, grab the handle, pull it down, open the door, and walk out. What did I do? Open the door (identify action). How did I do it?

Ever seen that video of that pastor who keeps saying why? If not, check it out. That’s essentially me as a teacher. Maybe I’ll develop the bushy eyebrows and southern accent as I get older. But my response to a lot of my students’ answers is the same: why? And why is that?

Let me answer my own question by asking another question: what happens when a student answers the why question? While I’m not saying that why is the best question (that depends on the situation), I would argue that why is the most valuable question.

Answering the why usually requires understanding of the what and how. So, asking why is perhaps the most efficient question. Asking why tends to show purpose or reason, and, in the end, isn’t that the deepest form of understanding? Why are YOU here? Why are WE here? Why is the UNIVERSE here?

But those are the ultimate questions… let’s keep it simple and go full circle: Why is the cardinal red? Answer this objectively to gain understanding on the nature of birds. You will gain insight into the nature of life itself. Perhaps this insight is, in the end, wisdom.

Application of objective understanding through reflection brings wisdom.

Objectively ask why. Seek the objective truth. Understand it truly. Then, and only then, can you become subjective and reflect on what this truth means to you and how it impacts your perspective on the universe.

So, wisdom is truth. Objective truth. Wisdom is the red cardinal. As the Daoist views it, wisdom is the Way.

Whatever is, is. It is the Way. The Way is beyond your or my control. We cannot control what is, we can only understand it. We cannot control the inertia of the past pushing our present into the future. We can only understand it.

Once we understand it by asking why, we can decide what to do with the time given to us (shoutout to Gandalf). But why should we desire wisdom?