To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depth of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.There are at least 5-6 important points in that quote that I can see... anyone see more?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Little Things
Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree. I've always felt that my good friend is a naturally wise person even though she's relatively young in years, and this quote explains how this is possible.
ReplyDeleteStill, this makes me question an incident i remember from Navi where Avshalom (pretty sure it was him) made a wrong move by taking the advice of his friends instead of the elders and he payed for it dearly. The lesson always brought out by my teachers was that when faced with the choice of listening to your elders or listening to your friends, always go with the former. but the idea that knowledge is predicated less on knowledge accumulated and more on an innate ability to "recognize the significant in the factual" makes me wonder if that is indeed the lesson we're supposed to get from the story.
Agreed. In general, I think elders have a better grasp of the factors involved in most choices, which is why that's often the case; that wouldn't apply, however, when it's an issue those elders don't understand or relate to well.
ReplyDelete