What Does It Mean to “Own Wisdom”?
In the past year as we evaluated MEA’s midlife curriculum, we could see that there were three key pillars under the umbrella of helping people to reframe their relationship with aging. The first two were obvious: navigating transitions and cultivating purpose. As for the third one, it was a little more abstract and we weren’t quite sure about the language for “owning wisdom,” but it might be the most profound of the three as it’s something that gets more valuable with age.
To own one’s wisdom means to have enough insight and self-awareness to see that your painful life lessons are the raw material for your future wisdom. When you own your wisdom, you value your gifts and mastery and know how to share them with others. This involves making conscious choices based on the insights gained, and using that wisdom to navigate life with a sense of purpose and authenticity.
To cultivate, harvest, and share one’s wisdom is the crescendo of a life well lived. And, “owning wisdom” is specific to you and your life experience so that’s why we use the word “to own” as your wisdom might be your most valuable possession.
In many cultures and philosophical traditions, the pursuit of wisdom is considered a noble and lifelong journey. It is a character-building experience that is also a social good because, unlike being smart or savvy, being wise involves creating a better society. The problem is our society has not created “midlife wisdom schools,” a place to reflect upon and own one’s wisdom. This is why I’m particularly excited about our third curriculum pillar and the fact that I’ll be teaching the very first two workshops in this Owning Wisdom pillar with one in Baja April 22-27 and one Santa Fe August 12-17. Hope to see you!
-Chip
