I\u2019ve often heard that there is a difference between being smart and being wise. Well, since the weather\u2019s hot and and I\u2019ve already cut the grass this week, I thought I\u2019d just exercise my brain in the air conditioning and think about that\u2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember, when our kinds were in school, at most parents\u2019 get-togethers, some would invariably tell us how smart their kids were \u2014 we used to hear it all the time. But I can\u2019t say that I remember any of them saying their kids were \u201cwise.\u201d I remember when I was in school, the \u201csmart\u201d kids pretty much had the key to success \u2014 the teachers seemed to like them better and they got a lot of opportunities that other students didn\u2019t. It was just a given that they were going to be successful. (Not that I am, but I don\u2019t remember any of the \u201csmart\u201d kids in my class being any more \u201csuccessful\u201d then me.)
But again, I\u2019m getting a little off the subject \u2014 I started out wondering what\u2019s the difference \u2014 if any \u2014 between being smart and wise?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smart and wise are both positive words that describe a person\u2019s intelligence and judgement. Someone doesn\u2019t have to have a lot of experience or information to be smart. Wise is usually used when referring to someone that is older and more experienced. And wise isn\u2019t meant to be a one-time compliment \u2014 it\u2019s meant to acknowledge a person\u2019s general intellect. If a person is considered wise, it almost always means that they not only possess wisdom, but also have experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So \u201csmart\u201d is a word that stresses intelligence \u2014 \u201cwise\u201d is a word that describes someone with a lot of experience, along with knowledge and sound judgement. And smart can be used to describe people of all ages, but wise is usually associated with people who are older and more experienced. A smart person doesn\u2019t necessarily have experience and knowledge, but a wise person almost always does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smartness refers to a person\u2019s capability and their ability to learn, but wisdom requires more than just that. Wisdom comes from understanding the real world, and all it\u2019s complexities \u2014 not just a limited environment, like school.\u00a0
I think that (some\/many) smart people tend to process information in a strictly logical way, but wise people also process the emotional, spiritual, and other subtleties along with the logic.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s good to be smart \u2014 maybe even better to be wise\u2026. and maybe if you\u2019re smart, it\u2019s easer to become wise.\u00a0
My dad (who I considered to be a very wise person) once told me that a smart person knows what to say, but a wise person knows whether to say it.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve often heard that there is a difference between being smart and being wise. Well, since the weather\u2019s hot and and I\u2019ve already cut the grass this week, I thought I\u2019d just exercise my brain in the air conditioning and … Continue reading