"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens" -Jimi Hendrix

They say that knowledge is power. Is it really? I mean, is just "knowing" enough? What about experience? Nothing can top experience. That's where you get wisdom. To me, wisdom.. now that's power. Taking the struggles, the pain and the beauty, living it, breathing it. That's power. Knowledge is overrated. Sure, you can read about a genetically altered bunny who can glow in the dark, but wow.. to see it, look at the radiance of sea creature in furry, fluffy form. That's wisdom, to me.

It's the exposure. That's what makes you truly wise. Being exposed. Out there, for all the world to see. This is me. Take it or leave it, pal. Exposing yourself to new cultures, new ideas.. Taking that empty sheet of paper and seeing it for the canvas that it truly is. Learn from everyone, learn from no one. Make your future from your yesterday. Expose your flaws, but more importantly expose your ideas. Lay them out there. Who cares if they're mocked?! Who cares is you're the only one who sees it that way right now?! That's what's so great about them! They're YOURS to do that with!

Expose yourself to tragedy.

You can hear on the news about the families ripped from each other in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the homes and lives completely washed away.. How their world is utterly destroyed. But to see it, to feel the agony of a mother who can not find her child, or a child who's grandmother is dying in his tiny arms. To see the fear in a child's eyes. The pain in an adult's. That is to experience.

Expose yourself to beauty.

..more to come..

This is a very interesting discussion on knowledge and wisdom. I support the idea that “knowing is not enough.” Knowledge to me is only half the battle. Knowledge for me is reading or learning about something that I may or may not use in a practical sense. For example, during the first day of class, I thought that the “lecture” about the wiki was all I needed to know about it in order to use it effectively. However, after logging onto the course website, I realized that what I heard or saw in class was only a guide. At first I was lost, but after experiencing the wiki for myself one evening, I gained wisdom about wikis. Before my personal experience with the wiki, I would have been able to inform someone about what it is, but not able to explain to them how to use it. Another example that “knowledge is not enough” is with regards to the business world. I have learned many facts, statistics, figures, and what not relating to the business world as a business major. However, I know that my wisdom regarding the business world will not surface until I actually experience it. It is going to take me being fired, transferred, laid-off, promoted or another unforeseen experience to feel what the business world is really like. At that point, I will feel that I possess at least some wisdom about the business world, not just knowledge about tangible concepts from a textbook.