Four years ago, I wrote a letter. It was meant to badger someone into doing something I thought was important. They refused, but I don’t apologize for it, even though I completely understand that person’s decision — and ironically, have made exactly the same one. Hypocritical? I don’ t know — is it hypocrisy when I admit to it?
Well, as I related over at Bridgebunnies, I have been going through some old files, and I found a copy of that letter. It’s been almost exactly four years since I sent it, and while it rambles a bit at first, I think it makes an interesting read, particularly in light of how events have played out in the meantime. Of course, I might be biased about that. Nevertheless, I present an excerpt comprising about 85% of the letter.
Reading it, you can probably guess to whom it was sent. I will not confirm or deny speculation, in order to spare the target further annoyance, and me further embarassment. Looking back at it, in the first half, I appear to be explaining the concept of “big” to an elephant. It made sense at the time…
Wisdom
. There is an egotistical thought common to every human being, that we, and we alone, have the Only True and Correct Opinion on SomeThing. And it seems the dumber a human is, the more likely they are to think there are more SomeThings that they have Correct Opinions on. In reality, it’s not true. There’s four things that have to come together to produce a Wise One, someone whose word and Opinion is, far more often than not, actually correct. ‘Wise One’ is awfully cheesy, but I don’t have a good term to substitute here. ‘Savant’ implies mere intelligence. ‘Authority’ implies lack of humility (granted, you’ve never been accused of that virtue, but your writing betrays that you lack the opposite vice also). So, ‘Wise Man of the Tribe.’
Intelligence: A Wise One has to be smart. S/he has to have the a bit more than rudimetary thinking and deduction ability.
Education: more than formal learning, it is honing, supplying with facts, and getting experience in the ways of the world. But don’t sell the formal learning short.
Wisdom: Common sense isn’t common. The Wise One knows when to draw the line and say “I don’t know.” Education, in the sense of experience above, can somewhat make up for this, but it takes one wise enough to be willing to learn the lesson. In the end, Wisdom trumps Education in our culture’s self-view, even if Education may earn more money.
Erudition: A true Wise One has the ability to *explain* him/herself, to make the complicated seem simple. Not just to look smart, act smart, and be smart, but to enrich those around him or her with their own talents.
All four of these are needed to produce a Wise One. Leave any out, and you get… well, something that may look like a wise one, but isn’t.