This is the background to the Wiser Society movement. It is a LinkedIn group and Face book page. The document below records the purpose and values of the movement. It also covers the backgound in more detail by answering the questions ''what is wisdom' , 'why do we need a Wiser society' and what would it look like?
Charter for the Wiser Society Movement
The purpose is as simple as possible while explaining our reason for existing.
Purpose
We create knowledge in action among young and old to develop more wisdom in the world.
Shared Values
We believe that his wisdom and our activities should be based on these core values:
The 5 Cs and 2Rs
- Community – altruism not ego
- Contribution – giving back without reward
- Challenge – rigorous questioning
- Compassion – as a balance to judgement
- Collaboration – all generations and cultures working together
- Responsibility – take it
- Respect – for all others – diversity adds to understanding
This charter is short and easy to remember. There has been a great deal of conversation about it during the first 3 meetings. The following pages describe the wider background of those discussions and will flesh out the charter for those who were unable to attend those meetings.
Background to the Wise Society
What is Wisdom?
Definition
Wisdom is a state of being and can be developed in individuals and in society. Throughout history, influential individuals have contributed wisdom to society.
There are many definitions of Wisdom, my favourite is:
Knowledge is understanding that a tomato is a fruit and wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad!
I also found these definitions on Google:
1. The ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight
2. accumulated knowledge, erudition, or enlightenment.
Everyday application of wisdom
The use of words such as insight and enlightenment make wisdom far more than intellectual capability or knowledge and experience alone. It is the process of being able to ‘joint the dots’ and intuit a more complete awareness in a situation. It usually also assumes an element of compassion and altruism along with practical application of the best action in a particular situation. Hence Blair (wise society member) uses the useful definition that wisdom is ‘Knowledge in action’.
Traditionally wisdom has been associated with age. There are probably for two reasons for this:
1. Accumulation of knowledge.
In previous eras the accumulation of knowledge could only happen through years of experience. Therefore a person needed to be a certain age before they had sufficient ‘knowledge’ of the way in which the world works. Today, we can all access knowledge on the internet easily – however, wisdom seems to be more associated with the practical application of knowledge that the simple accumulation of it. It is knowledge and awareness of context that enables a wise person to decide on an appropriate action.
2. Physical brain development.
This is outlined by Elkhonan Goldberg in his book ‘The wisdom paradox’. Research on the brain has unearthed an interesting fact – we don’t develop the ‘wiring’ that supports wisdom until we are approximately 45. We can have compassion, knowledge and the rational decision making skills, but being able to use all of these in an appropriate way seems to develop from our mental connectedness; we begin to ‘join the dots’. Along with this development, over the years people clearly develop more emotional intelligence and altruism.
For these reasons, it is probably still the role of Elders to contribute wisdom to society, although they need to be balancing not extinguishing the innovation and rebelliousness of younger generations. Generational habits and behaviour are learned from cultures. If a wise society exists, younger generations will contribute their energy to a greater good; if it doesn’t they may choose to use their energy and innovative drive for their own ends. They may also overthrow older governance with their idealism to achieve a ‘greater good’ that does not already exist (as happened recently in Egypt
We need more wise elders
Our population is ageing. As elders begin to outnumber young people we need to make sure that most elders are wise because all wise people are old but not all old people are wise! Cultural links between generations need to be formed and we need to minimise the number of elders who suffer from dementia or ‘retirement inertia’. Elders must know how to stay relevant and take responsibility for getting rid of the cultural myth of the ‘useless, doddery old person’.
We need to get a wider understanding about a wiser society.
This assumes that we do not believe that we have a wise society at present and that this is an important vision for the future. It also assumes that we want to be proactive and take the initiative.
We need to be able to paint a picture to explain what it will be like!
This picture will emerge more clearly over time, but as a start, the following description may start the process:
What is a Wise Society?
Everyone will have their own version of this future state. The version below is one that I think we all share even though some of us may add more detail.
A wise society is one where the energy and innovation of youth is combined with the judgement and compassion of age in order to create a sustainable, diverse, fair and fruitful culture.
A balance of young and old is combined to create a world where energy, spontaneity and creative ideas could combine with better judgement, compassion and understanding of big picture consequences. There is personal responsibility and community support for developing our minds and taking effective action. This will lead to positive contribution by all able members of society and the protection of all those who need support. Differences from our present society will include:
- Fewer cases of age related dementia and more individuals reaching state of wisdom
- People looking forward to contribute to society for their lifetime
- A society better balanced (but not constrained by) by wisdom
- Each individual able to take responsibility for maintaining and developing their own minds
- A compassionate society where everyone works for the whole and the whole protects the individual
- A new interpretation of old age where old is not automatically regarded as ‘useless’ or ‘tired’ including new and responsible roles for those over 65
- A sustainable society where community matters
- A synergy of minds around a common purpose across the generations
- An ability, freedom and expectation to be positively challenging