as we continue our exploration of the qualities of wisdom and wise people we might consider the embrace of wonder.
the wise ones standing in awe, in wonder, are often lead to great humility. a wise one, with the eyes of the eagle, sees the vastness of life, the unfathomable mystery of life, and can only stand in wonder.
the wise ones never proclaim themselves as wise. the ego of the wise one is smaller than their ability to simply model humility and wonder.that energetic tension between vastness of creation and the relatively modest space we occupy can fill us with delight. it can open the heartmind to the electricity of the life force…that force that is called ‘prana’ in sanskrit, ‘qi/chi’ in chinese, ‘ki’ in japanese. the appreciation of this pulse of life is a hallmark of an elder.
elders, in the course of our growth, can surrender to this greater energy. we then find ourselves in a state of humble awe. there seems to be a circular relationship between humility and wonder…the more we can open to the wonder around us, the more we see ourselves as part of the whole.
this creative tension allows an elder to also appreciate the dynamic between joy and grief, between anger and resolution, between sadness and gladness, between laughter and tears, between rage and compassion, between past experience and the present moment.
each aspect of the life force brings the elder to a deeper sense of wonder, awe and humility…the understanding that each aspect is vital to life itself. the embrace of the parts of ourselves which are painful along with the parts that bring peace allows us to embrace the whole.from this vantage point the wise elder can take compassionate action, whether that be mentoring a younger or participating in a demonstration or signing a petition or praying.from this vantage point we come around again to the cycle of wonder and humility, the cyclic nature of all life.