Sources of WisdomSorting out the sources of wisdom can help us think about how to incorporate more wisdom into our democratic processes. 1) PERSONAL AND INTERPERSONAL AUTHENTICITY - Getting in touch with who we are at deeper levels -- each of us individually and each other -- reveals much of what we need to know to live wisely in the world. From stories to deep feelings and needs to Spirit, the broad common ground here can inspire our compassion, understanding, mutual aid and collaborative problem-solving. 2) OUR RESONANT 'CORE COMMONS' - Deep within us are compelling patterns of biological, human and spiritual kinship that make us resonate with the other beings we encounter. Compassion, empathy, unity-consciousness, brotherhood/sisterhood, and some forms of aesthetics and conscience are all rooted here at the resonant inner life of our interconnectedness. 3) SPIRITUAL/WISDOM TRADITIONS - Every spiritual tradition has wisdom to offer, and in ecumenical inquiry these traditions can find higher common ground of tremendous value to the world. In our alienated age we might attend particularly to tribal wisdom. 4) DIVERSITY + QUALITY DIALOGUE - Diverse ordinary people hearing each other and exploring towards shared discovery can find wisdom profoundly important to themselves and relevant for the communities or societies from which they came. 5) HOLISTIC SCIENCES - Living systems theory, ecology, chaos theory and complexity theories, cybernetics, cognitive sciences, consciousness studies, integral medicine, quantum, field and relativity physics, comparative cultural anthropology, etc., reveal deep patterns of wholeness. 6) MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES - We can deepen and fill out our comprehension by integrating reason, logic and facts with intuition, body awareness, spiritual sensibilities, narrative intelligence, emotional intelligence, and other ways of apprehending the world. 7) SEEING INTO DEEP TIME - We are embedded in time that stretches from the distant past to the far future, and has tremendous depth in the present moment. Wisdom arises from being fully present and understanding history and consequences, especially as seen by those involved with diverse experiences and perspectives. 8) WISE PEOPLE - Many people with deep experience or knowledge serve humanity or their communities in deeply nonpartisan ways towards broad long-term benefit. 9) HIGHER INTELLIGENCE - Something vastly larger than us with a mind of
its own -- God's Will, Big Mind, the Tao, nature's self-organizing
wisdom, universal intelligence -- contains us, moves us, and works
through us, individually and collectively. Often if we open to
it, it offers guidance. If you have comments about this site, email cii@igc.org. |