A Poor Facsimile of Wisdom

Most people are not wise. This is not a judgment or an assessment or a reaction to any recent interaction.

It's an observation.

Our lack of wisdom shines when we are put – or when we put ourselves – in circumstances where we are expected to say something profound or clever or inspiring.

But because we have not spent the time over the years to explore and truly understand who we are and what we believe in and how we want to be in the world, we say and do and think things that are not wise.

Things that are stupid or inaccurate or harmful or superfluous.

Because we haven't cultivated equanimity and compassion and empathy, our minds are filled with inauthentic fluff, which leads to inauthentic fluff leaping from our tongues.

This is the norm, the default, what we have come to expect from our friends, our colleagues, our leaders, our celebrities – ourselves.

Because we lack wisdom we are unable to recognize that what passes for wisdom is anything but.

And we are left with a poor facsimile of wisdom that takes us farther and farther away from truth and enlightenment.