Being Old Does Not Make You Wise
What is being wise?
People believe that the older one gets, the wiser one becomes. Is it because older people have more experience and more knowledge and so able to make better decisions? It is reasonable to expect that more knowledge and experiences can lead to better decisions. And the ability to make good decisions is construed as being wise. And good decisions are deemed to be the right decisions, resulting in a favorable or expected outcome. However, everyone cannot be making the right decision all the time!
No such thing as the right decision all the time!
We cannot make the right decisions all the time! Stephen Covey points out that “The way we see the problem is the problem.” As such, people make decisions according to the way they see the problem! Not everyone will know the problem the same way, so everyone will have a different approach to making decisions. As such, what some may deem to be a wise decision is a foolish decision to others because they understand the problem differently. In the current pandemic, any decision to tackling it can be a right and wrong decision at the same time. Only time will tell if it is the right or wrong decision, and no one knows when they will know if it is a right or wrong decision.
Is the right decision a wise decision?
One may not live long enough to know if some decisions are right or wrong. One can die not knowing if one is wise or otherwise. And the sum of the number of correct decisions versus the wrong decisions you make in your lifetime will not determine if you are wise or otherwise. I believe that only you will know if you have been wise or otherwise. Only you will know how you concluded that the problem is such. Only you will know the risk you are taking in making the decision. Only you will know if you decided in a rash or after much consideration. Only you will know how much of your knowledge or experience was applied to the decision. Only you will know how much you have learned about yourself and become a better person because of the decision. These things make you wise because you constantly learn about how you make decisions. Not necessarily the outcome of the decision.
The wisest are not wise in all things!
Robert Greene, in his book “The Laws of Human Nature,” tells of Sir Isaac Newton’s investment in the South Sea Company. In 1710 the company was an enterprise that would handle and manage part of the English government’s enormous debts. The debts were the result of the war with France and Spain. In exchange, the company had a monopoly on all English trade with South America. But the company did almost no trading. Instead, the company sold the government’s debt as a commodity, as shares in the South Sea Company. Those who had lent the government money could convert their IOUs into equivalent shares in the South Sea Company, and the public also bought the company’s shares.
The scheme made no financial sense to King George, then king of England, and even to Parliament, who had to approve it. But King George turned a blind eye because it offered a chance to cancel England’s debt and bring prosperity to England, strengthening the monarchy in the process. Even Parliament initially opposed the scheme, but opposition also dwindled, and so, everyone went along, even artists and intellectuals — including John Gay, Alexander Pope, and Jonathan Swift. Soon Sir Isaac Newton felt the pull and invested a good chunk of his savings, £7,000, even though he had his doubts. So, when the price of the shares doubled, Newton cashed out. But the company’s share price soared further upon news that the company was soon going to start trading with South America. The company’s share price continued to soar against the backdrop of a booming economy that made many wealthy. Newton then reinvested his winnings £20,000.
When the Bubble Act of 1720 was passed, it banned all joint-stock companies not authorized by the royal charter. It resulted in people selling their South Sea Company’s shares to cover their losses in these joint-stock companies. To avert the risk of its share price crashing, the South Sea Company issued another share subscription as it had done in the past and promised a dividend of 30% by Christmas 1720. Sanity sunk in, and people realized how a company that had not traded for anything yet in South America, whose only tangible asset was the interest the government paid it on its debt, afford to dish out such significant dividends could? Newton, brilliant as he is, defied logic and gave into greed. He lost his life savings. From then on, the mere mention of finance or banks would make him ill!
Sir Isaac Newton, who discovered the obvious that what goes up must come down, shows that every one of us cannot be wise in everything, regardless of our age. In his case, he gave in to greed. So, remember the words of the apostle Paul, who wrote, “the good I want to do I do not, but the evil I do not want this I keep on doing!” (Romans 7:19) There is a risk that we will always do Something stupid! Something illogical! Something that is not of us, regardless of our age! Age does not guarantee us wisdom.
Age does not determine your wisdom.
Age does not determine wisdom because there is no such thing! When you learn, when you unlearn and learn new knowledge and skills, and when you learn about yourself, of your talents, your recurring patterns of thought or behavior, and learn how your talents make you exceptional. And being conscious of your talents, you apply them to your knowledge and skills and, in doing so, nurture your talents into strength — the ability to provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity consistently. In doing so, you have learned how to acquire wisdom! Age does not matter!
