Belief Versus Wisdom
photo by Julian Fann
Look closely at the word belief. Hidden inside the word between the l and the f is the word “lie”. I never noticed this until a few days ago, and I realized that it was no accident. There is so much inherent in the word belief that connects it directly with the word lie. A belief is something we trust in without having the experience to back it up. It is something that we come to because we are told it is true by someone or something outside of ourselves. Compare that with a direct experience and you will see they are as different as night is to day.
Knowledge a close cousin to belief, only in that we can gain knowledge from books, movies, lectures, workshops, and conversations with others. Knowledge is useful, but it is not the same as wisdom. Wisdom is gained solely through direct experience. Wisdom is what we learn from our experiences. Wisdom takes the knowledge we have gained and applies it to our experience.
Experience + Knowledge = Wisdom.
It doesn’t matter which comes first, the experience or the knowledge, what matters is that the two when combined create wisdom. Knowledge without experience remains nothing more than an intellectual concept. You can think about it, reflect on it, but if you have no reference for it in your personal experience, you cannot “know” it on a deep experiential level, which is what allows you to learn and grow from it. No amount of knowledge is a substitute for wisdom.
Experience without some knowledge to explain it or frame it in a certain context, remains nothing more than just an experience. Again, you cannot learn from it without the knowledge that will allow you to see how it relates to your other experiences or to life as a whole. No amount of experience is a substitute for wisdom.
Where does belief fit in? It doesn’t. Belief is something you would only put your trust in if you haven’t discovered the deeper level of wisdom that knowledge, plus experience bring. Once you discover this, you will never be satisfied with belief alone again.
It’s quite simple. There is a huge difference between eating a meal and deciding it’s good and being told a meal is good by someone else. Add to that the knowledge about the ingredients in the meal, it’s nutritional benefits and then suddenly you have the wisdom of knowing that this meal not only creates a pleasant experience, but that it is also good for your body.
There is a huge difference between believing that UFOs are real and actually seeing one. There is a huge difference between believing in God and having a direct experience of the presence of God working in your life.
A belief can always be changed, manipulated, distorted, etc. But no one can take away your experience. It’s yours and yours alone.
