In the 1920s the Library of Congress held about 3 million items. In the 2020s the Library of Congress holds over 170 million items.
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In the 1920s the average person had access to local library and perhaps a few dozen books at home. In the 2020s the average smartphone user has instant access to the equivalent of millions of books worth of information.
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The internet and artificial intelligence have led to an explosion of knowledge.
But with so much information available to so many people so easily, why is the world in such a mess?
We are experiencing a flood of information but a drought of wisdom.
Knowledge represents the accumulation of facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education. It’s knowing what something is, how it works, or that certain events occurred. But knowledge does not produce people adept at living. Only wisdom can do that.
I like Father Richard Rohr’s definition of wisdom:
“Wisdom is a deep knowledge of the connections of the world and life that must be won not only from thought but at the same time from real-life experience. Wisdom is reflected experience.”
Wisdom is reflected experience that produces character and compassion.
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One hundred years ago, grandpa and grandma, aunts and uncles, often lived with the nuclear family and were available to share and model wisdom. Today, grandma and grandpa, auntie and uncle often live hundred’s of miles away or in a nursing home and their hard earned wisdom is not available to younger members of the family.
If you have lived long on this earth you hopefully have wisdom to share. What has life taught you? What mistakes have you made that you can help others avoid? How has life shaped your character and produced compassion in you?
What can you share with younger members of your family, with your friends and neighbors, with the world, that will help them live with character and compassion? Tell it around the table at family gatherings. Write it down. Record it!
The world needs your hard earned wisdom before it’s lost forever.
Jim Cyr is a trained spiritual companion who helps older adults reflect on the meaning of their lives and how God has been present or absent as they face the challenges of aging and end of life.