Empathy is being at one with the emotions of others, including but not limited to their suffering. It is not pity or even sympathy; it is understanding and entering into, or recognizing and sharing, ... Read More about Transcending Kinship
Cycle-of-Life Season
Transcending Tribalism
Compassion is being at one with another's suffering. ... Read More about Transcending Tribalism
Agape
When we care about other people for their sake instead of our own, we transcend the primal bonds of ego. This may be the essential building block for a just society. ... Read More about Agape
Displaying Vision
Vision pertains to scope. The wise person can see for a long distance, metaphorically. Usually the ideal is stated in reference to time but it may also be stated in spatial scope, as when a person can ... Read More about Displaying Vision
Being Clear
As some people have a talent for wit, some have a talent for expressing themselves in a way that others clearly understand. Their words may not be technically precise but they convey worlds of ... Read More about Being Clear
Being Witty
The ability to relate to people is a hallmark of wisdom. We can sum up wit with one observation: Some people know how to tell a joke, some don’t. ... Read More about Being Witty
Depth – Being Deeply Perceptive
The wise person sees far beneath the surface. She perceives not only what is superficial and obvious but things that are hidden from most. William Shakespeare is a patron saint for this virtue, not ... Read More about Depth – Being Deeply Perceptive
Exercising Sound Judgment and Discretion
Sound judgment is an essential characteristic of wisdom. It is the ability to weigh, soundly, competing values, alternative courses of action and different ways of looking at things. A person of ... Read More about Exercising Sound Judgment and Discretion
Being Subtle
Sometimes we can discern a person’s thoughts, emotions, mood or intentions, or all of these, from a subtle clue. The great classical actor Ian McKellen illustrated this in a one-man performance on ... Read More about Being Subtle