Tag Archives: Whittier

The Wisdom of the Wise

The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of the ages,
may be preserved by quotation.”

Isaac D’israeli, an Englishman who lived from 1766 to 1848, was a respected literary essayist.  His belief, given above, has weathered well.  In 2013 we turn to the online Proverbs of the World and read,

“These sagacious sayings are the distilled wisdom of the ages.  Their lessons are as relevant today, as when first heard hundreds and sometimes thousands of years ago.”

We need help today.  We struggle to accept, enjoy and handle our modern lives, sometimes against overwhelming odds.  We could benefit from the mentoring of experienced guides.  Are the problems we face now so different from those in the past?  Is it possible to tap into ancient wisdom?    Continue reading

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No Need to Reinvent the Wheel

When one reaches the “aged” phase the temptation is great, and the privilege exists, to revisit life itself – decades and decades of it!  Mankind as far as we now know, is unique among our fellow living creatures, in having a consciousness of self.  We retain memories of the past, anticipate the future, and are acutely aware of our mortality.  With all this come questions: many of them!  Some are profoundly important throughout life, some vary according to our age, and for the most part the answers are elusive.

It fascinates me that these questions, the search for understanding and the efforts to find answers cut across peoples, cultures, and the ages.  Archaeologists now know that even the earliest of primitive people wrestled with much the same questions that plagued more sophisticated societies, and still remain unanswered today:

What is the purpose of life?
What is my role here?
Is there something “out there” that is greater than all else?
Why is there good and evil?
What can I do to make my life worth living?     Continue reading

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