Wisdom
A Dedicant's Essay
by Jack Crowley
July 14, 2006Cedar Light Grove
1.The ability to discern or judge what
is true, right, or lasting; insight.
2. Common sense; good judgment: “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things” (Henry David Thoreau).
3. The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge: “In those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations” (Maya Angelou).
4. Wise teachings of the ancient sages.
5. A wise outlook, plan, or course of action.
Wisdom Bible. Wisdom of Solomon.
Thus says a digital version of the English dictionary. I was going to begin this reflection discussing the difference between mundane and spiritual wisdom. But, then in occurred to me, that this most probably is an artificial distinction. Just as all politics is ultimately local, all wisdom is ultimately practical. Wisdom, in my opinion, is the making of correct choices. Correct is a value-laden word. What might be correct from a spiritual or ethical point of view, could be very incorrect from a practical point of view, hence the division between different types of wisdom. But ultimately, all wisdom has a very mundane application. How we live our lives.
So how does this apply to the ethics of a modern day druid? Why is it important for a Druid to be wise and to practice wisdom in his or her daily affairs? The druids of ancient times were honored for their decision-making abilities. They were the ones that the various tribes would come to for arbitration. They were the ones who applied Brehon law or the common law that came before it. They were the ones that could stand between two opposing armies and mediate. They were the ones who would decide to use the social/legal tool of dibert or banishment of those who fail to comply with the common law. They were the ones to make the correct choices that affected the tribe and community. What an awesome responsibility for those of us who take the name druid today.
To be a modern druid is to attempt to make the correct choices in all our dealings. I sit in front of my television set watching a war break out between Israel and Lebanon. I turn the channel and find a war raging between the United States and Iraqi insurgents. I pick up a magazine and read about effects of greenhouse gas on our environment. I listen to the apartment next to mine as a couple argues loudly and bitterly. And I sit, nursing my coffee, thinking how deeply we need to discover the correct choices. The modern world needs wisdom today, desperately. The NeoPagan movement, if it is to be worth anything, needs to provide some of that wisdom. We turn to the old gods, and in doing this we blaze a trail spiritually. We need to blaze a similar trail politically and ethically. There has to be a way out of the quagmire that the world is in. We as druids and pagans need to find that wisdom. A wisdom that can be applied in how we treat the salesclerk at 7-11, our lover in the next room, or the country half way across the world. Practical, purposeful, profound wisdom, the correct choices for the twenty-first century is perhaps the most important virtue that we can strive after today. Let us live up to the name of druid. Let us seek wisdom and find a way.
2. Common sense; good judgment: “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things” (Henry David Thoreau).
3. The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge: “In those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations” (Maya Angelou).
4. Wise teachings of the ancient sages.
5. A wise outlook, plan, or course of action.
Wisdom Bible. Wisdom of Solomon.
Thus says a digital version of the English dictionary. I was going to begin this reflection discussing the difference between mundane and spiritual wisdom. But, then in occurred to me, that this most probably is an artificial distinction. Just as all politics is ultimately local, all wisdom is ultimately practical. Wisdom, in my opinion, is the making of correct choices. Correct is a value-laden word. What might be correct from a spiritual or ethical point of view, could be very incorrect from a practical point of view, hence the division between different types of wisdom. But ultimately, all wisdom has a very mundane application. How we live our lives.
So how does this apply to the ethics of a modern day druid? Why is it important for a Druid to be wise and to practice wisdom in his or her daily affairs? The druids of ancient times were honored for their decision-making abilities. They were the ones that the various tribes would come to for arbitration. They were the ones who applied Brehon law or the common law that came before it. They were the ones that could stand between two opposing armies and mediate. They were the ones who would decide to use the social/legal tool of dibert or banishment of those who fail to comply with the common law. They were the ones to make the correct choices that affected the tribe and community. What an awesome responsibility for those of us who take the name druid today.
To be a modern druid is to attempt to make the correct choices in all our dealings. I sit in front of my television set watching a war break out between Israel and Lebanon. I turn the channel and find a war raging between the United States and Iraqi insurgents. I pick up a magazine and read about effects of greenhouse gas on our environment. I listen to the apartment next to mine as a couple argues loudly and bitterly. And I sit, nursing my coffee, thinking how deeply we need to discover the correct choices. The modern world needs wisdom today, desperately. The NeoPagan movement, if it is to be worth anything, needs to provide some of that wisdom. We turn to the old gods, and in doing this we blaze a trail spiritually. We need to blaze a similar trail politically and ethically. There has to be a way out of the quagmire that the world is in. We as druids and pagans need to find that wisdom. A wisdom that can be applied in how we treat the salesclerk at 7-11, our lover in the next room, or the country half way across the world. Practical, purposeful, profound wisdom, the correct choices for the twenty-first century is perhaps the most important virtue that we can strive after today. Let us live up to the name of druid. Let us seek wisdom and find a way.