User:Bradaphraser/Wisdom

I've been thinking on this, and just felt like taking a little time to express my views on what wisdom is. Many people confuse knowledge with wisdom. The difference between the two is this: knowledge is the ability to truthfully say, "I know," while wisdom is the ability to truthfully say, "I don't know." People in positions of authority need both knowledge and wisdom, for without either, they make bad decisions. The problem is that any man who tells you, "I'm wise" is either joking, a liar, or a fool, and usually a combination of at least two of these (that having been said, I consider myself pretty wise ;) ). So such decisions as to who is wise must be made by others, of necessity, who already have authority, which can always be wrong. Sadly, even people WITH knowledge and wisdom make mistakes, so sorting out whether a particular mistake is evidence of a lack of knowledge or wisdom is tricky business.

My point to all of this is this: if mistakes are made by those in authority, it's important to make a case in well-worded, clear, and rational arguments, and such things cannot be taken or received in the heat of an argument about something else. So consider not only the justice of the argument, but the timing. In an argument, people are prone to scapegoating, name calling, and foolish judgments. Bringing in another unrelated argument, no matter how just or unjust, simply adds fuel to the fire. There are many ways to deal with this, such as banning all the unhappy parties involved, or taking the side you feel is right and holding on whatever the cost, but we must weight the consequences of our actions with the benefit to the community. Addition by subtraction works, but diverse opinions working with mutual respect works better. Freedom is exhilarating, but rules help us operate in fairness to one another. Rebellion has its place, as change is an overall positive process, but without some form of authority, anarchy breaks out at the first sign of non-consensus. This is my worldview, for good or ill. We CAN work together, but we must accept these basic values in order to do so: authority, fairness, and diversity.

Take it for what it is worth. I sincerely hope we can continue to operate as the funniest site on the internet for years to come, and am always willing to listen to new ideas and suggestions.

--<<>> 17:12, 4 December 2006 (UTC)

PS: You can respond to this on the talkpage or on my usertalk page.

PPS: I desperately hope no one sees this as a personal attack, as I'm not very good at those and frankly have no interest in them.