The Virtue of Wisdom
‘Wisdom describes strengths that help you gather and use knowledge’.
VIA Institute on Character
The strengths grouped in this virtue are creativity, curiosity, love of learning, judgment, and perspective.
1. Creativity: “is thinking of new ways to do things.” You use both imagination and experience. It requires courage, risk taking and willingness to be vulnerable. You generate ideas which could lead to innovations, build relationships, business ventures, marketing strategies, leadership growth and best of all personal satisfaction and happiness.
The creative arts by their very nature foster originality with an openness to new ideas, designs and creations in music, dance, writing, arts and crafts. The good news is that creativity resides elsewhere too. Creativity is also found in science laboratories, scholastic institutions, or on manufacturing floors. In everyday life you can be creative by going down a small by-lane to find your way home instead of the usual traffic-congested highway. It can be painting your bedroom wall with a bold coat of an eggshell lavender finish. It can be sprinkling an exotic za’atar seasoning on your chicken dish. It is about taking chances to create and discover.
So make space for relaxation, mindfulness, and reflection to spark your imagination. Throw yourself into the moment with abandon. It is both freeing and inspiring.
2. Curiosity: “is to explore and discover…..to take an interest in an on-going experience for its own sake.” It is about adopting a childlike wonder to notice, search, and ask questions. You don’t know what to expect, yet you pursue the idea, project, or path with an openness to learning. Many years ago, when we were trekking through a densely wooded area in Shimla (northern India), our 5 year old daughter at the time, skipping along merrily, asked casually, “Are we on a lost trip?” It was an innocent observation with implicit trust in the process of discovery and embracing the new.
That is what we can learn to cultivate. The willingness to lean into a novel experience without fear of the unknown. Research shows that it is one of five strengths linked to satisfaction and happiness. It stimulates the brain, develops our knowledge base and aptitude. It bolsters positive relationships and adds meaning and longevity to life. You can be an ardent reader, avid traveler, zealous foodie, or a performing arts enthusiast.
Give yourself permission to get curious about other people, unusual situations, latest mobile apps, foreign language films, or international sports. You are engaging an interest in something original and unique. Curiosity is expansive. It gives us the space and capacity to grow.
3. Love of Learning: “is a passion for learning. While curiosity is the motivating force that leads you to seek out new information, love of learning refers to the desire to hold on to and deepen that information.” You are a perpetual student with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and deep understanding of topics that you gravitate towards. You are not one to cast a cursory glance or skim the surface as you will not settle for shallow or superficial understanding. You prefer to delve deep and cast a wide net for resources that lead to a high level of satisfaction and perhaps even mastery of the subject.
Whether you are lost in the labyrinth of computer software, or are voraciously integrating facts on world history, you are looking to gain knowledge because it interests, stimulates and electrifies you. It also motivates you to keep pushing through challenges and setbacks. It is a powerful tool to possess in any setting: school, work or home.
If you fail an exam you are determined to engage your growth mindset to try again. If you get constructive feedback at the office you are motivated to refine your public speaking and presentation skills to improve your work performance. If you are unable to fix a leaky faucet in the kitchen, you find a YouTube video on how to do it successfully. “You are enrolled in the school of life.”
Wisdom opens us up to new possibilities. As much as it sharpens the mind, it also unlocks it. Watch the energy well up within you. It is silently habit forming!