How do I know if I am wise?

[Someone here]

Recently I made the claim that my early grey hairs are due to me being wise (I think I was joking)
My friend rose to this and found an online test claiming it could score my wisdom (it was on nerdtests, can't add url).

I was actually a bit crushed that it scored me only 33%. Although I took what solace I could from the fact that that number is said to have some occult significance (I don't know much about that stuff), I was actually quite gutted as I've placed wisdom pretty high in my aspirations my whole life.

I was wondering, can any of you think of a way I can find out once and for all if I am wise?

[Windappreciator]

Are you sure you want to be wise? 

You would have to deconstruct a lot of the things you believe that people around you believe. It will be painful.

[Someone here]

@Windappreciator

yes I do want to be wise. You made me consider what do I mean by wise, and the eventual definition I came up with is "one who knows the course of action that will lead to the least suffering". This leads to Present Awareness's thoughts; my wanting to be officially wise led to suffering when I was told I wasn't. 

[Waken]

Are you lost in your mind/thinking, maybe?

[Windappreciator]

@Someone here 

I do not think it was your wanting, it's that you egoically profiled a selfimage that got broken.

This process is part of getting wiser and the pain is the only way through it.

If you will keep avoid the pain of self reflection and the pain of admitting to yourself you will hardly grow in wisdom. 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Windappreciator

[Someone here]

6 minutes ago, Waken said:

Are you lost in your mind/thinking, maybe?

Totally. 

[Waken]

1 minute ago, Someone here said:

Totally. 

 All good

[Someone here]

@Windappreciator

I posted the question half as a wise crack, but I think the answers led me to some learning. Being wise isn't just knowing lots of why's.
 

[Chrisd]

When things don't go your way, do you get upset?  

[Tim R]

I can guarantee you that if you take an online test to find out if you are wise, then are dejected by the result, and then come to a forum looking for solace and confirmation for such a narcissistic belief as "I am wise", then you are not nearly as wise as you would like to believe (sounds harsh, I know).

 

That being said, I must add that to a certain extent, everybody is wise and everybody is a fool. That's because the two are essentially the same, they are on a spectrum (metaphorically speaking). The fool believes himself to be wise, the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

Which means that paradoxically, your desire to become wise is foolish - as it must be, by definition. 

So how can you feel disappointed to be a fool? How could you become wise if you aren't a fool to begin with? See?

That's why C. G. Jung said "the fool is the precursor to the savior." 

Realizing that you are a fool and loving the fool within is how you become wise. Not by rejecting yourself. Therefore, rejecting foolishness is foolishness. 

And this repulsion and disappointment that you feel when I or the online test tell you that you are a fool - that's the rejection of yourself. That's what prevents you from becoming wise. 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Tim R

[Someone here]

5 minutes ago, Chrisd said:

When things don't go your way, do you get upset?  

Yes. To some degree 

 

[Someone here]

10 minutes ago, Tim R said:

I can guarantee you that if you take an online test to find out if you are wise, then are dejected by the result, and then come to a forum looking for solace and confirmation for such a narcissistic belief as "I am wise", then you are not nearly as wise as you would like to believe (sounds harsh, I know).

 

That being said, I must add that to a certain extent, everybody is wise and everybody is a fool. That's because the two are essentially the same, they are on a spectrum (metaphorically speaking). The fool believes himself to be wise, the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

Which means that paradoxically, your desire to become wise is foolish - as it must be, by definition. 

So how can you feel disappointed to be a fool? How could you become wise if you aren't a fool to begin with? See?

That's why C. G. Jung said "the fool is the precursor to the savior." 

Realizing that you are a fool and loving the fool within is how you become wise. Not by rejecting yourself. Therefore, rejecting foolishness is foolishness. 

And this repulsion and disappointment that you feel when I or the online test tell you that you are a fool - that's the rejection of yourself. That's what prevents you from becoming wise. 

Happened across this yesterday; "If a fool can see his own folly, he in this at least is wise; but the fool who thinks he is wise, he indeed is the real fool"

[Johnny Galt]

Philosophy - love for wisdom.

Tree of Life - love wisdom crown (the top 3 spheres)

Out east - compassion and comprehension

To know wisdom come to know your heart as the two come together. 

 

[Tim R]

14 minutes ago, Someone here said:

"If a fool can see his own folly, he in this at least is wise; but the fool who thinks he is wise, he indeed is the real fool"

The Dhammapada is some good shit indeed?

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/dp05.htm

[Guest EmptyVase]

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

I was wondering, can any of you think of a way I can find out once and for all if I am wise?

You'd have to be wise in order to know that you're wise.

I'm a fool. No doubt 'bout that.

But not-knowing and knowing eventually come full circle.

[Gesundheit2]

If you have a question, that means you don't know the answer.

If you look for wisdom, fill in the blanks.

[gettoefl]

w-hen

i-

s-eek

d-evoid

o-f

m-ind

#wisdom

[undeather]

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

Recently I made the claim that my early grey hairs are due to me being wise (I think I was joking)
My friend rose to this and found an online test claiming it could score my wisdom (it was on nerdtests, can't add url).

I was actually a bit crushed that it scored me only 33%. Although I took what solace I could from the fact that that number is said to have some occult significance (I don't know much about that stuff), I was actually quite gutted as I've placed wisdom pretty high in my aspirations my whole life.

I was wondering, can any of you think of a way I can find out once and for all if I am wise?

Judging from your attepts to quantify wisdom with a ridocolous onlinescore on nerdtest and then come here to ask random people on the internet how you can find out once and for all tells me a lot about how wise you are. You are not. 

And thats okay, I am not either.
Grow up, gain experience, educate yourself, then ask yourself again. 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by undeather

[UnbornTao]

Being ignorant of one's own foolishness - applies to pretty much everyone. So probably you're not.

First you've got to know yourself. I know I know, boring stuff. But do you?

Wisdom is developing the ability to think in paradoxes. I heard that definition somewhere.

[Zigzag Idiot]

Arnold Keyserling once said - “If you think that you know and that you’re ‘on the way’. You’re not ‘on the way’, whatsoever. If you don’t know whether or not you’re ‘on the way’, then that’s the best assurance that in fact, you are on the way.”