We often hear the phrase ‘wise elder’. Is this mythical creature simply someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, a knowledgeable expert? Someone who is simply older than we are? Or is there something else, a different quality, that denotes wisdom? The Sufi poet, Rumi, might help us differentiate between wisdom and knowledge.
“Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
—Rumi
Knowledge, ever useful, remains outside, in the world, doing the work that needs to be done there. Wisdom looks inside to see what needs to change internally. Here, on the inside, we can find what we value. When science and technology aren’t enough, we can find what’s important, and live into our values.
Wholeness is a value we might come to appreciate, as elders. The ‘all’ of ourselves is important, not simply our mental capacity, nor simply our physical ability. We, each of us, are an ecology, a wholeness. We have lived our long lives in an increasingly fragmented world. Now is our time to live in our whole being, our wisdom. The very word ‘ecology’ stems from the Greek, meaning “household” or “home” or “place to live”. Our whole being is the place we live, with all parts of ourselves as united, not separate.
Hildegard of Bingen reminds us of the ‘web of creation’. We are all in this together, no one part left out. We are all effected by the loss of biodiversity, increasing temperatures and global pandemics. We elders have a role to play in the manifestation of this web. Our connections with peers, as well as those younger than we are, strengthens the web of our wisdom. We can share and learn, mentor and be guided along those threads of connection.
In the same way, each of us, as a whole ecology, brings our joy and sorrow, our pains and our pleasures, our entire life experience to each of our days, each of our relationships. Valuing our undivided integrity is a sign of our wisdom. It far surpasses our knowledge. It outshines our skills.
Our valued wisdom is the whole of who we are.