Seize Wisdom

In my younger years, I recall one of the many days when i sat down with my father in our living room, at a time when all my elder siblings had been away for school, in various locations across the country. "My son, as you grow older and face different people and situations in life, you must never be sheepish". Not having as good a command of the language, I thought the old man had made a mistake and I tried to correct him. "You mean cheapish?" I inquired, to which my father resoundingly refused and emphasized that "Sheepish" was correct.

 

He went on to explain the meaning of the word and the lesson behind his choice of the word. It was evident that the old man was not only imparting wisdom but also schooling me in as far as the English language was concerned. It was yet again a re-affirmation of what I had already known, that Superman had nothing on my father.

 

My eager ears facilitated this transfer of wisdom thereby complying with the universal truth that "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear".

 

A question we must all ask ourselves is;"when was the last time we had a candid and enjoyable conversation with our elders?”. For hundreds of years, Africans depended on the direct story telling and interaction of elders and children to transfer knowledge and wisdom. Both groups; the children and the elders, found this not only enriching but also entertaining so much that the very first consideration for nanny duties rested with the grandparents. It is very obvious that our ancestors were on to something with this arrangement as a platform for knowledge and wisdom transfer.

 

Our society has, unfortunately separated from these ideals by adopting paid Nannies to take up the roles grandparents previously handled thereby perpetuating the development of a generation with limited wisdom and tradition, owing to the fact that, for the most part, children in their most formative years; have predominantly the limited wisdom and tradition of the Nanny from which to learn.

 

This trend, now just as prevalent in African society, has been attributed to the increase in not only the cost of living but also the pace of life. This is even more pronounced in households where both the wife and the husband hold day jobs that keep them away from their children during office hours. The extra gap created by the absence of the "mother" at home has bred a thriving industry for nanny services.

 

The obvious casualty in this of course is the transfer of wisdom from grandparents to the children,infact even to the parents who return home from work ever so tired, without the energy to make the effort and time to satisfactorily interact with their elders.

 

It is well documented that the ancient Egyptians invented the first form of writing, this they used to record history and their many other inventions. This also became the means for the transmission of cultural and traditional teachings to the young generations. An argument can therefore be made that upon realization that with civilization, the need to develop an alternative way for recording knowledge and wisdom to be transferred to the next generation, other than the interaction with elders and parents, who are kept ever so busy by civilization, needed to be developed.

 

This belief that we can receive all the knowledge and wisdom from books is what is prevalent even in modern times, coupled with a misconception that the old ways from our elders are "old fashioned". With hundreds of thousands of books available in various media on any topic, it has once again become difficult to know which book is telling the truth.

 

"Wisdom is the ability to act using knowledge,experiance,understanding,common sense and insight"(Wikipedia)

 

From the definition above ,it would be correct to suggest that one of the best places to find wisdom is in our elders who can easily be assumed,by virtue of their years to have "Insight" and "Experience",in short,the things we may not be able to read out of a book.It is also true to tread carefully as not all elderly people may be said to be wise.

 

Owing to their understanding and common sense, most elders will not volunteer their wisdom but will freely provide it to those that seek it.The responsibility therefore rests with those of us seeking wisdom to be ever ready to notice avenues from whence we may access this wisdom and seize it.

 

Driving back to Lusaka, having attended the funeral mass and burial of the late, His Grace,The Most Reverend Archbishop James Mwewa Spaita(MHSRIEP),I could hardly shake the sense of major loss that had overcome me.I felt, as I still do today, that this great opportunity to sit down and interact with this great man was no more. The expanse of his years on earth,52 of which as a priest gave him a rare and great perspective on which to hinge his profound wisdom.

 

The question lingers;When was the last time we seized the opportunity to have a chat with our elders? Its a question we must avoid having the need to ask ourselves by improving our interactions with our elders and thereby receive the wisdom of the ages.

 

At the end of it all,what wisdom shall you give your children if you do not have any? Old age is no guarantee of wisdom,seize the opportunity now.“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
― William Shakespeare, As You Like It