The Search for Wisdom in the Information Age

How can we make sense of it all – the cynicism, arrogance and perpetual noise that is becoming ever more pervasive in our culture.

We live in strange times. Despite have access to almost unlimited information at our fingertips, we remain confused and overwhelmed.

Who am I to believe?

Who am I to trust?

The increasing sophistication of technology becomes anxiety inducing without the insight on how to use it to live well or enhance our wellbeing.

It is like we are drowning in a sea of facts without ability to know what is really important. These problems of discernment and sound judgement stem from the failure of our culture to adequately differentiate between knowledge and wisdom.

Although these two terms seem similar at first glance, it would be a mistake to conflate them.

Knowledge: Technical Know-How

Knowledge refers to one’s understanding and mastery over a subject and a certain set of facts. This can be acquired in school, training or other forms of education. Someone who is knowledgeable in a particular field has acquired a specific set of skills and has the capability of coming to conclusions about a given subject area.

However, just because an individual has acquired mastery over these facts doesn’t imply that they are able to make wise judgements about how to use them. We all know examples of those who have a high degree of intelligence but no basic ‘common sense.’ This often leaves us baffled or scratching our heads. Furthermore, intelligence says nothing about one’s ethical or moral foundations. Someone who is a brilliant student can lack kindness and compassion.

Scientific knowledge and technological advancements have given us modern humans great power and control over the natural world. However, without the wisdom to accompany them, these advances have been used towards destructive ends. Building nuclear weapons, addicting consumers through digital media and expediting environmental destruction are all consequences of using technology to satisfy self-centered and egotistical goals.

Wisdom: Perspective, Character and Judgement

Wisdom is more than the acquisition of merely technical skills. It involves using perspective and discernment to apply one’s unique skills in specific circumstances. Moreover, it requires one to acquire virtues working towards mastering the art of living. Wisdom can’t be learned in textbooks but rather by actively participating and engaging in the world. That is to say it must be embodied in one’s character and disposition.

Through experimentation, experience and trial and error one is able to learn from their mistakes and strive to be in the right relationship to both themselves and others. Wisdom enables us to cut through alienation, self-deception and enhance our connectedness to the world around us.

The Long and Winding Road

So how do we attain wisdom?

This has long been the role of religions and spiritual traditions. Religious figures such as Jesus, Confucius or the Buddha etc. were exemplars who an individual could aspire to in search for truth, beauty and goodness.

In a secular society however, I think the humanities and liberal arts (i.e., literature, history, philosophy) can offer a means to contemplate the big moral and ethical questions of our time. These subjects provide insight into different ideas, cultures and perspectives offering the learner to consider what it is like to ‘be in someone else’s shoes.’ They provide collective insights into what it means to be human both in the past, and in our current day and age. The humanities also enable us to look at the prevailing social norms and customs of our society with a critical lens. Honest and respectful discussion about the values can inspire empathy, understanding and greater co-operation.

Not all problems are technical in nature. Solutions to complex problems often require shifts in our perspectives or value structures, namely changes in how we see the world. This means that we cannot rely only on scientific advancements for the pressing global issues we face but also need shared wisdom and distributed sense making.

The path towards wisdom varies from person to person. It can not be bought or learned through persuasive yet deceptive self-help gurus. Not every answer to our questions can be found on Google.

Wisdom requires work, action and perseverance.

More importantly, it can only be found within.

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Beyond Language: A Taoist Perspective

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As I watch my niece slowly learn her first few words, I am reminded of the importance of language. After all, there is only so much you can communicate to a person with ‘mamma’, ‘pappa’ and ‘ball’. Although other species have their own unique ways of interacting with each other, the sophistication of human language has enabled us to share ideas, thoughts and emotions leading to the development of complex societies and cultures.

Nonetheless, we must also keep in mind that no language is perfect in fully representing our internal subjective experience or the continual dynamic flux of the external world. Although it is extremely useful, language is always limited in portraying reality which is constantly changing and evolving. This is what Lao Tsu is alluding to in the famous opening lines of the Tao Te Ching,

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The Limits of Language

To understand his point, let’s look at an example. Two men are in love with a woman. The first is very articulate with a strong command over the English language. He is able to craft exquisite love letters and court her with his beautifully spoken prose. The second, although his love for the women is no less sincere, struggles to find the right words to express his emotions.

It would be wrong to say that the first man’s affection is any greater or is more genuine. Rather, he is just more skilled in the nuances and intricacies of this given language.

We are always restricted by the language(s) that we speak. Take for instance the commonly used word ‘love’ in English. The term is used to describe a myriad of different things. One could use it to describe their desire for a piece of chocolate cake, while another individual can use can use it to express their deep affection for their spouse.

On the contrary, the ancient Greeks had used different words to more precisely describe the unique meanings and connotations of the idea of love. For instance, ‘philia’ represents friendship and companionship, ‘eros’ signifies passion or intimate love, while ‘agape’ means unconditional love alluding to the warmth and care a mother has for her child. Having a wider array of terminology available allows you to speak with more accuracy and precision.

The key point is that language and concepts slice up reality into fragments, ultimately affecting how we see and make sense of things. While useful, the concepts we use and rely on during our day to day lives to make sense of things can never fully characterize the complexity of our experience.

It can point towards meaning, but can never capture the complete essence of what is being said. The issue arises when we make the mistake of confusing abstractions and thoughts with reality itself.

As the philosopher Alan Watts describes in Tao: The Watercourse Way,

There is no way of putting a stream in a bucket or the wind in a bag. Verbal description and definition may be compared to the latitudinal and longitudinal nets which we visualize upon the earth and heavens to define and enclose the positions of mountains and lakes, planets and stars…. For the game of Western philosophy and science is to trap the universe in the networks of words and numbers so that there is always the temptation to confuse the rules, or laws of grammar and mathematics with the actual operation of nature.

Defining the Sacred

As I mentioned in my last article, the Tao can be thought of as the ‘way’, source or principle which drives the universe.

Although there are important differences between the Tao and the Judeo-Christian God[1], there is a similar logic in resisting classification of the divine. As the sociologist Erich Fromm writes in To Have or to Be ?,

The God of the Old Testament, is first of all a negation of idols, of gods one can have…God must not have a name; no image must be made of God.

Every time we put labels and classify things into discrete categories, we turn the infinite into the finite making something into an object that we can possess. The beauty and mystery is lost as the divine turns into an idol or abstraction.

Rather than imposing our will and social conventions on the world, Taoism invites us to be receptive to the ultimate mystery of life – to welcome the spontaneous flow of existence and live-in harmony with nature. To accept things as they are as opposed to the way they ought to be.

Thus, in the Tao Te Ching Lao Tsu continually reminds to be open and receptive to the energy, forces and current of the universe; to embrace stillness and let life flow through you.

Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still
Tao Te Ching

Experiential Knowledge

If we can’t fully understand the nature of things through language, models or concepts, what are we to turn to?

Taoism emphasizes intuition or tacit knowledge. That is, knowing through direct experience, by getting the ‘feel of it’ and directly participating in the activity. Tacit or experiential knowledge is that which is difficult to express verbally or in written form.

You can’t learn to ride a bike just by reading an instruction manual just as one can’t adequately learn a language by studying its grammar.

You have to actively and routinely engage in and participate in these activities to be able to get a firm grasp over them.

Conclusion

The illusive and esoteric ideas of Taoism remind us that the world is a far more mysterious place than we may imagine.

I can not be certain if this article has explained the concept of the Tao accurately, but then again words can only get you so far. It is the role of the poet, author or artist to go beyond the confines of words – to make you understand at a deeper level what is attempting to be said.

Perhaps next time you find yourself in a state of awe or wonder, or become immersed in an activity and lose yourself in a state of flow, you will have a better idea of what I mean.

[1] Unlike the Judeo-Christian God, the Tao is not something that has direct authority/control over the universe nor something to be worshipped.

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Lessons from Taoism: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

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It was at a university book sale where I was first introduced to the ideas of Taoism. Hidden away deep in the philosophy section, I picked up what initially seemed like a strange esoteric book – the Tao Te Ching. It was a short text, under 100 pages, that was filled with often puzzling language and concepts which seemed contradictory at first.

As I dived deeper into the book exploring its key themes and lessons, I saw its potential to act as a roadmap for inner freedom and liberation. Moreover, I understood the possibility for Taoist ideas to be used as a remedy for the anxiety of our current age. A period in which we have come to measure success in terms of status, wealth and power. Mass pop culture has propagated homogeneity and conformity, resulting in everyone feeling the need to be the same. This has detached us from our inherent spontaneity, creativity and uniqueness.

Taoism invites us to live in harmony and balance with the natural world. To surrender and let go of our futile attempts of control. It opposes the cold, mechanical and alienating world view that has come to dominate our thought in the 21^st century.

It claims that we should see ourselves as part of nature, not separate from it. Humans are both situated within and inseparable from the universe. Just as a single wave is a part of the ocean at large, we are deeply connected to the world around us.

As religious scholar Jacob Needleman writes in his introduction to the Tao Te Ching,

Man is built to be an individual incarnation of this whole. His good, his happiness – the very meaning of his life – is to live in correspondence and relationship to the whole, to be and act precisely as the universe is and moves.

Many of the core Taoist ideas can be summarized with the widely used cliché, ‘go with the flow.’ Just as it makes sense to swim with the current of the river than against it, we should aim to live as simply and effortlessly as possible. From this perspective, we realize that many of our struggles do in fact come from making things more complicated and difficult than they need to be.

The more we try to control things, the more uncontrollable they become.

One example of this phenomenon can be seen when dealing with stress or anxiety. In many cases it is usually unhelpful to try and control or get rid of anxiety when you are experiencing it. This approach will likely only heighten one’s stress levels. Rather, the trick is to learn to surrender to the present moment. To learn to ride the waves of anxiety and let is pass and flow through you.

The surest way to become Tense, Awkward and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard – one that thinks too much.
Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

Taoism, also spelled Daoism, is both a philosophy, spiritual practice and religion which emerged during a period in ancient China known as the Warring States period (453-221 BC). This time was characterized by violence and societal turmoil as rival political factions competed for control in China.

In the midst of this chaos and uncertainty, the Tao Te Ching allegedly written by the mysterious figure Lao Tzu,[1] advises to us to let go of resistance and live in accordance with the Tao. While a key characteristic of the Tao is that it can’t be defined, it is loosely translated to ‘the way’ or path towards virtue and the good life.

In the next few articles, I want to look at some of the key ideas of Taoism including:

The limits of language and analytical thought;
The Yin/Yang polarity; and
The notion of wu wei or ‘effortless action’

Throughout this series I will argue that Taoist concepts and ideals offer a means to break through the rigidity of modern systems of thought, and lead us towards freedom and authenticity.

We can see the world as interconnected refraining from over analyzing and categorizing everything into neat little boxes, and come back to the wisdom of intuitive ways of knowing and understanding.

As we quickly progress towards an ever more technological society, I think Taoism offers us a reminder for us to not forget what it means to be human.

It provides us with a means to understand our proper place in the world.

[1] It is debated amongst scholars as to whether the Tao Te Ching was written by a historical figure named Lao Tzu or a collection of ideas from many authors

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