wisdom and changing the world.

while the sentiment in this cartoon (hugh macleod again, yes) is oversimplified, I like it a lot. I don't want to be a sheep. I definitely don't want to be bored.

but I don't know if I want to be a wolf either. do I want to change the world? do you necessarily have to be aggressive to do that? don't we all change the world just by taking up space? I guess it depends on how exactly you want to make a difference.

okay, so what?

one of the greatest things my dad ever taught me was the definition of wisdom. wisdom is the correct anticipation of consequences. it's learning from your mistakes. it's thinking about what if. it's like seeing the future.

in linguistics class a few semesters back we had a lecture on the characteristics of human language. one of the coolest things that separates human speech from bird calls is the concept of lying. irrealis, it's called. the ability to think about things that aren't real right now. the future. the past. nightmares. fictions. goals. lies.

I like the dualism too: the ability to lie as a inherent aspect to the capacity for wisdom. after all, if there were no untruths, how would we ever tell the difference? if we never made mistakes how would we know what they were? if we never dreamed, how would we get out of bed in the mornings?

I'm about to graduate from college. what have I learned?

not enough.

but it's a step. one step on an endless path.



ps: stridency deletion article is available on this page. yay!