Wisdom to me is not just the collection of certain knowledge or skills, it is something that is used in discretion. It can be life experience or knowledge learned from books; either way it is something that ultimately makes one more aware of and understanding of their environment.
Wisdom is an excellent place to start, as people who are wise typically can understand the true causes to a problem, and the correct ways in which to remedy it. In this class we as a group will eventually be presented with a project-- a way to bring identity to the neighborhood, and we as a group will find a solution. Wise people also typically act in a way that is consistent with their personal moral or ethical beliefs. As we go into this, we must realize that while although we may gain something through this time we are ultimately there for others, and act in ways that benefit them and not necessarily ourselves, because it is the right thing to do.
People who are wise are also self-aware; they know their own limitations and abilities and how best to use them. By giving the best of ourselves and truly attempting to make the most of this experience, we can (however corny this may sound) make a difference, no matter how small it is in comparison to the larger scale.
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2 comments:
Hey Katie, I really liked how you defined wisdom. I know that I struggled trying to find an adequate definition for what wisdom really is, but your explanation seemed very clear and easy to understand. You then were able to do a good job of connecting your definition of wisdom to the service learning project that we will be undertaking. I thought your admission that we are there to help others and not ourselves because that is what service is was really spot on for what honors service learning was designed for. Your last statements about how we are wise if we realize that we can only help people so much, but that this realization should not stop us from trying our best were excellent.
Overall, your blog connected wisdom to service, but I think it would have been more effective had you brought in your thoughts on “The Apology of Socrates” and your previous experience of reading it in MOI. These added elements would have added to your definition of wisdom and perhaps would have allowed for an even better connection to be made to service. Even without those components, it was a good post and probably helped you to prepare for the start of service later this semester.
Katie:
I think we will all be challenged this semester to balance the relationship we establish with our service partners in the Wash neighborhood. As you say, we want to remember how we atre present for others during this experience, but how great would it make others feel if they thought they were really teaching us something too? Of course, this is very idealistic; no doubt the relationships we develop will be far more complicated.
As Tyler said, some thoughts on the Aplogy would have been useful. jw
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