WISDOM
In the modern, Western world we have come to believe that wisdom is a science, the pursuit of a logical or mathematical objective truth. But in many ancient traditions, wisdom was found in a very different way. From Buddhism to Hinduism, Christianity to Paganism the path started with tradition, led to reason, then to direct experience.
Humans listened and learned, from elders, from teachers. This oral tradition involved faith, not blind faith but a faith, trust and appreciation of the wisdom accumulated by the past generations.
Wisdom was born from reflecting on this, learning and adapting it to suit the time. This involved thinking, questioning and evolving the wisdom. It meant neither eradicating or passively repeating the wisdom but developing a deep conviction and trust because you had personally tested then assimilated the wisdom.
Last but not least is a tradition of practice, integration and unification that leads to embodiment. The wisdom you have heard and reflected up becomes embodied and part of your very being.
In the digital age of influencers, the oral tradition is having a renaissance but as attention grabbing machines distract us, we are taught by influencers, led by likes, distracted by AI and we often lose an embodied connection to our elders and teachers.
Yet wisdom is still a process, a path and listening, reflecting and embodying still have a role in the age of digital distraction.