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Growing Wisdom
By Karen Vally on 19 Mar 2026
What is wisdom? It's "a thinking process that integrates knowledge, experience, deep understanding, common sense and insight." We're neither born with it, nor is it something that some people magically, at a certain moment in time, just acquire. It's something that evolves when we choose to invest in it, work on it and commit to acquiring it.
What are some of the ways in which we could cultivate it, as we travel as pilgrims on this journey of life? There are several options that we could choose to explore. The first, is to try new experiences. Another is to face our fear. We could also choose to engage in a conversation with someone who has a different perspective from our own. A golden opportunity to cultivate wisdom, is by pursuing education and becoming a fervent reader.
"Not only does reading expose you to the narratives and inner lives of thousands of real and imagined characters...It also gives you the quiet time to absorb, process and reflect on what you're learning in your life and help integrate it into your thinking."
What if we were to spend time with wise people? This would provide us with another golden opportunity to discover how they think, how they see the world and why they do what they do.
Furthermore, we could spend some time getting to know and understand ourselves.
"Get to know your today self...expecting that one day that will change...and grow ever more comfortable with the wisdom of change."
"While learning from others is clearly important, wisdom also comes from balancing what they offer with what you offer."
As we gather experiences, it is easy to fall into the trap of making assumptions. When we lead with a "beginner's mind," we are more likely to be curious and open-minded.
"Ask questions, listen closely and confirm that your understanding is correct before assuming you know exactly what's going on and what to do about it."
To cultivate wisdom it is helpful to regularly review "cause and effect," to identify how things might be connected.
Finally, by slowing down we pave the way for a calmer response to the unexpected nature of life.
"When you react too quickly, you don't have time to access the parts of your brain that store your accumulated knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight."
"In our busyness, we get stuck in meaningless habits and impulsive behaviour."
Wisdom is "something you cultivate like a garden, preparing the soil, planting the seeds, watering, weeding, pruning and clipping. Finally, after a long growing season and a lot of work, you harvest."
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