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Welcome to readers and followers. If you are a follower of this blog, or just reading it, you can truly say, that you are reading or following, the right thing! That should make a person feel good. Another right thing that I wish for you. [I hope you don't dislike puns too much. A long time ago, a friend and I had them down to a fine point. And they were fun at that time. I more rarely use them now, but sometimes I can't resist.]

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Today's Thought

"Wisdom is knowing what to do. Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is in doing it well."

Think about it. How was the wisdom acquired? Through formal education? Life Experience? I'm sure you've heard of "The School of Hard Knocks."

How did you acquire skill? Someone taught you: formally or informally? Did you practice, as in practice makes perfect? That only applies if you practice the right things; if your desire is a good, or better product. You could practice forever and come out with an imperfect product or solution, unless you started with a good pattern, or plan. If there is a flaw in the pattern, practice won't help, unless changes are made.

So, you have the wisdom behind you, to use the skill you have acquired, which you use to the best of your ability. And knowing you have done something well, not only helps whatever product or situation is involved, but adds to your sense of well-being because you've done your best.

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2 comments:

  1. BarbaraSeptember 28, 2009 at 12:18 PM

    I have heard the first two statements in conjunction with each other many times. However, this is the first time I have heard the third part, "Virtue is in doing it well." That adds a whole new dimension to the saying!

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  2. BarbaraOctober 13, 2009 at 4:29 AM

    I think that in order to learn from our experiences and to acquire wisdom there must be two things present: First, there must be a willingness to reflect on what you have experienced. If you don't take the time to think over what has happened, there will be no learning. Second, I think you also have to step out of the emotions that are connected to the experience in order to learn from the experience in a wise way. If the emotion of that experience is the only thing driving what your thoughts, your learning will be handicapped and probably not result in acquiring wisdom. For example, if I am with a group of people that I don't know and I feel uncomfortable and intimidated because no one is talking to me, I might decide to never go to another gathering unless I already know most of the people there. That response is tied directly to the unpleasant emotions associated with the experience. The focus of the reflection is only on yourself in order to never repeat that experience. If you change the focus from yourself, to a more analytical viewpoint, then you would look at all of the reasons the situation was uncomfortable and consider a variety of things you might do differently. When you change the focus from self and emotions, you broaden the possibilities for acquiring new skills or insight, and you be come wiser in the process.

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