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4 Jan 2026

 

Wisdom’s Elusive Beauty

A trite but comfy adage says that our elder years will naturally bestow “Wisdom” upon us. Wisdom, the adage says, comes with age. Nonsense! Aging does not guarantee Wisdom. Many elders remain immature, unwilling to take responsibility for their choices, blaming others instead accepting accountability. Clearly, then, it’s not our length of years which bestows Wisdom.

Wisdom - i.e., True Wisdom - comes only when (1) we face the shortness of life, (2) embrace the Mysteries into which we are born, (3) accept the God-given limits to our freedoms and rights, and (4) stay accountable to God and to one another.

Wisdom inspires us to consider the unintended consequences of our behavior, to accept responsibility for our actions and own up to the consequences of our choices. Wisdom enlivens the words of Karol Wojtyla, who said, “Freedom consists of not doing what we like but having the freedom to do what we ought.”

Wisdom’s Nature

These days, True Wisdom is rare in our culture, but unrestrained emotions and unseemly fads flourish. Even unfounded opinions thrive under the tattered banners of distorted freedoms and the endless litany of pseudo-rights. But True Wisdom … t’is a grand, but infrequent, quality of heart and mind, soul and psyche.

For example, Wisdom insists that we are not free to live according to our urges and unruly emotions. That’s because Wisdom understands the necessity of living a life of Virtue, of avoiding extremes, of the need for gratitude and humility, empathy and altruism, forgiveness and reconciliation. Wisdom embraces the fundamental Truths which contribute to emotional and spiritual maturity on a natural as well as supernatural level.

True Wisdom

Wisdom builds on our natural, God-given gift of insight seasoned with Humility which inspires us (1) to recognize the potential value in the superficial allure and frequent pain of life, (2) to accept the Mysteries of God, (3) to acknowledge that we are His children. This is the only way anything in life makes sense.

True Wisdom (as Robert Luddy states) is about “the formation of the individual.” This involves our view of human freedom and self-discipline, the demands of morality, building our character and our emotional controls, and “relentlessly seeking truth.” 

Some people distort “wisdom” into a manipulative, ego-centric skill to outsmart others, a smug, shrewd, street-savvy gimmick which puts financial gain above all else. But True Wisdom reveals how crucial it is that we pursue Truth, even when it is costly to do so, even when we’re tempted to cut corners. Living according to Truth is a tough vocation; that’s why Wisdom eludes many of us.

True Wisdom provides insight into moral pitfalls, including bouts of self-pity and righteous puffery to which we are prone. Wisdom reminds us that we, too, are part of God’s Mysteries, subject to His Will from the instant of our conception.

True Wisdom finds its rationale and direction in the moral insights of Revelation and in various Virtues which enlighten humanity. These sources seem foolish to skeptics, who avoid even the mention of God and His Mysteries because their curiosity is not resolved to their satisfaction. They rely on their frail incredulity rather than on the evidence of Creation’s Mystery around us … and within us. They fail to see that all of Creation is Mystery.

Creation’s Mysteries are simply undeniable, including one’s own existence. Wisdom helps us accept the fact that curiosity is useful only to a point, for there are Mysteries in Creation which we shall never unravel… Mysteries such as Creation itself.

Further Points To Ponder

It is, of course, possible to separate ourselves from God, to think our lives have no connection to our Creator, to act as if we are gods-unto-ourselves, to hold others in dismissive disregard. In such instances, unbelievers may still seem to possess a degree of good judgment. But True Wisdom introduces the moral realm into our lives, introduces God’s point and purpose in Creation.

Wisdom bestows upon us that moral awareness which enlightens our lives, enlivens our motivation, and gives direction and meaning to our lives. Without this moral awareness to enrich human existence, all else would be worthless and chaotic.

Every life has moral meaning and moral consequences. We are born into God’s universe of moral possibilities which are determined by the choices we make and the actions we take.

Thus, True Wisdom bestows upon us the insight into what is morally right and wrong in human affairs, not merely what is socially desirable or culturally popular.

In our society, moral insight is often at odds with cultural fads. In fact, moral insight is unpopular (adjudged too judgmental by folks who resent judgmentalism) when it identifies wrongdoing and evil.

True Wisdom is about moral means-and-ends of our decisions, about the links between our behavior and the outcomes in our relationships with God and other people, even strangers.   

True Wisdom involves discernment about the moral roots of our human nature, about our motives; about the causes and effects of our choices in the short-run and long-run; about how we treat one another and the practical impact we have on one another … and, above all else, how we relate to God.  

Maturing In Wisdom

As we mature in Wisdom, we have no illusions about the ways in which people delude and alibi themselves. We have no illusions about humanity’s imprudence, self-serving motives or willingness to harm others by words and deeds. We see the Truth about humanity’s weaknesses. But rather than condemn others, Wisdom urges us to influence others toward Goodness.  

Wisdom often emerges when we face troubling times and are tempted to seek resentment or revenge. We are given a new vision of God working in our lives and in this world. It is through periods of painful personal experience coupled with Humility that Wisdom pushes us to see that our previous coping mechanisms are simply no longer effective or tenable. We then face Truths we have hidden from ourselves to protect our fragile egos and elevate ourselves in the eyes of others.

Humility (a misunderstood Virtue) urges us to admit that we did not understand (and we still do not fully comprehend) the Mind of God - but we now embrace His care, nonetheless. We embrace the Mystery of God … and of us…  

Thus does True Wisdom comes to us over time, as we grow in Faith and Hope, facing hard realities which strip us (voluntarily or not) of our defenses and deprive of all else … save God. 

Learning to accept Truth about oneself requires patience and recognition that we are truly God’s child. Growth in Wisdom can be costly, especially when we confront our habits of avoidance, selfishness and denial, which are hurdles to Humility and Candor.

Finally . . .

And when we realize that Wisdom awaits, what do we do?

We believe that we are loved by God … and we then act like it.

God’s Love, like Wisdom, is one of the countless Mysteries of Creation. As we get older, Wisdom may whisper to us that grumbling and complaining are not merely ineffective; they’re rehearsals for further petulance. They’re not the right path to which we are called.

Wisdom tells us to believe wholeheartedly that we are loved by God. Wisdom reveals that pain and loss are actually opportunities to grow in closeness to God. And, as Wisdom flowers, we realize that Christ trod this same path of wonderment we now endure. And we realize that we are indeed in very Good Company.