Jan 7, 2014

again - knowledge vs. wisdom

Men's Bible Study is finishing up Book of Job (ch. 38), one of the so-called 'wisdom books' of the Bible.
From here we may go to another from the set, Ecclesiastes, to glimpse more of God's ways; alternatively we may next do Exodus which is among the oldest books, along with Genesis and Job.
 
Knowledge often is about mastery and controlling one's environment/ecosystem. As such it is like the motorboat or steam ship with its self-propelled path.
Knowledge is Power comes to mind, as well; the idea that possessing a particular set of information, organized into useful and actionable chunks will support one's status or authority. In sum, knowledge is about action.
 
Wisdom may contrast these several dimensions: (1) not controlling the terms but instead working with them (judo, not boxing; sailing, not steaming; ballooning not jetting), (2) not power to wield or status to defend, but rather humility and steadfastness, (3) not ownership but a shared commons or connective humanity that implicates all stakeholders, as well as those not directly involved but affected secondarily.

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