What is Wisdom? What is Truth? Let's Dive In(wards)
You are the thinker: You are not your thoughts.
Epictetus said "Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them." We frighten ourselves and yet we are the creators of our experience. Norman Vincent Peale wrote “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate, make choices and act productively using experience, understanding, insight, and intuition. Wisdom embodies humility. Socrates said "I am wiser than this man; for neither of us really knows anything fine and good, but this man thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas I, as I do not know anything, do not think I do either... I know that I know nothing." Ben Harp said in the film 'Point Break' "You know nothing. In fact you know less than nothing! If you even knew that you knew nothing, that would be something, but you don't."
William Shakespeare, who consistently holds the number one spot for greatest author of all time, was also a spiritual Master. He wrote “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” After Jesus, Hamlet is the most cited figure in Western consciousness: No one prays to him, but no one evades him for long either.
Why even bother with wisdom? As Socrates wrote “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Our fearful emotions prevent us from hearing wisdom: At least until we speak it out loud to an Enlightened Witness.
As Jane Austen wrote “Angry people are not always wise.” Have we got to the point where wisdom is irrelevant? As Paulo Coelho wrote “Don't waste your time with explanations: People only hear what they want to hear.”
Wisdom is simplicity in profound concepts. As Paulo Coelho wrote “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
Blaise Pascal, the mathematician, pioneer in the Natural Sciences, and philosopher who had a spiritual experience, said “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of... We know the Truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.”
John Nash, the American mathematician, about whom the film 'A Beautiful Mind' was made, documenting his mental illness and recovery said "I've always believed in numbers and the equations and logic that lead to reason... And I have made the most important discovery of my career, the most important discovery of my life: It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found." Love is the question and the answer, the cause and effect, the motivation and the destination, the means and the end.
Albert Einstein, arguably the greatest scientific mind of all time, who was also a spiritual Master, wrote "I want to know the mind of God." Wisdom is the domain of Enlightenment. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased awareness, compassion, experiential Self-knowledge, Self-transcendence, and non-attachment, and virtues such as ethics and benevolence. Wisdom has nothing to do with judgement. Wisdom is in fact the antithesis of judgement as judgement is a lack of understanding and compassion.
Sydney Banks said “Let your negative thoughts go. They are nothing more than passing thoughts. You are then on your way to finding the peace of mind you seek... You are one thought away from happiness, one thought away from sadness. The secret lies in thought.” We should not seek happiness (which depends on our thoughts about people, places, events, and things), we should find joy (which comes from inside of us). This is the greatest wisdom.
Steve Jobs reminded us that "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking."
Ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu said, "Know yourself, and you will win all battles." Laird Hamilton, a recent champion, has said, "Make sure your enemy does not lie between your two ears." What these wise words make clear is that it's not you against the world in terms of achieving your goals. It's you against the voices inside your head. If you're struggling to stay positive in a certain situation, it's not the situation that you are against. It is the voices in your head telling you, "This is a disaster; you are doomed to failing, and you should just give up now." Knowing yourself is knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Controlling your thoughts is controlling your enemy. Finding peace in your mind is finding peace in your world. Conquering the enemy within is winning the greatest battle of all. You may win against one opponent and lose against the next, but taking control of your thoughts is a perfect victory.
Wisdom is not the same as either intelligence or knowledge. So what is wisdom? Let's dive in(wards)...
The history of wisdom
The ancient Greeks considered wisdom to be an important virtue. Aristotle, in Metaphysics, defined wisdom as understanding why things are a certain way (causality), which is deeper than merely knowing things are a certain way. Apollo was also considered the God of wisdom, designated as the conductor of the Muses (Muse means 'to put in mind' - suggesting a divine source for true wisdom). Apollo was contrasted with Hermes, who was related to the sciences and technical wisdom.
So, if knowledge and the sciences don't lead to true wisdom, what does? To Socrates and Plato, philosophy was literally the love of wisdom. Plato said "And is not the love of learning the love of wisdom, which is philosophy?" No-one teaches wisdom. You can't. Wisdom is a feeling; an intuition: Discovered and felt during dialogue between two Higher Powers, who see each other and themselves as such, on the 'Hero's Journey'. This is the role of the 'Enlightened Witness.'
Plato said "There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, 'til philosophers become Kings in this world, or till those we now call Kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands."
The ancient Romans also valued wisdom using the symbol of the owl, which is still a popular representation of wisdom, because it can see in darkness. This may give us a clue to the purpose of wisdom - to see the unknown unknowns, through expanded consciousnes, by shining a light on the darkness.
In the Inuit tradition, developing wisdom was one of the aims of teaching. An Inuit Elder said that a person became wise when they could see what needed to be done and do it successfully without being told what to do. This is the basis of Transformative Life Coaching (TLC). Traditional coaching allows you to solve the one problem that you are faced with. TLC allows you to solve all your problems, even the difficult and complex ones. You eventually become your own coach with TLC. Wisdom allows you to speak Truth to power, as they don't have real power, just ego. Real Power and wisdom comes from taking a transformative journey. The guide, who is an 'Enlightened Witness' serves as a mirror to your own higher wisdom.
The word "wisdom" is mentioned 222 times in the Hebrew Bible. It was regarded as one of the highest virtues among the Israelites along with kindness and compassion, and unbiased justice. The books of Proverbs and Psalms each urge readers to obtain and to increase in wisdom. In the Hebrew Bible, wisdom is exemplified by King Solomon, who asks God for wisdom in 2 Chronicles 1:10. Much of the Book of Proverbs, which is filled with wise sayings, is attributed to Solomon. The proverbs says that wisdom is gained from God, "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding". Solomon concludes in the book of Ecclesiastes that all life's pleasures and riches, and even human wisdom, mean nothing if there is no relationship with God. To to those who are "on the path to salvation" Christ represents the wisdom of God. In Christian theology, "wisdom" describes an aspect of God, or the theological concept regarding the wisdom of God. Wisdom is considered one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the channel through which we commune with God during prayer (asking) and meditation (receiving intuition). It is the smartphone to speak with God. The Epistle of James is a New Testament analogue of the book of Proverbs, in that it also discusses wisdom. It reiterates the message from Proverbs that wisdom comes from God by stating, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you". James also explains how wisdom helps one acquire other forms of virtue: "But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." James focuses on using this God-given wisdom to perform acts of service to the less fortunate.
Buddhist traditions provide comprehensive guidance on how to develop wisdom, which is of central importance, where the ultimate aim is often presented as "Seeing things as they are" or as gaining a "Penetrative understanding of all phenomena", which in turn is described as ultimately leading to the "Complete freedom from suffering". In Buddhism, developing wisdom is accomplished through an understanding of what are known as the 'Four Noble Truths' and by following the Noble Eightfold Path. This path lists mindfulness (being present throughout the day) as one of eight required components for cultivating wisdom. Wisdom is the antidote to the self-chosen poison of ignorance. The Buddha said "One is not wise merely because he talks much. But he who is calm, free from hatred and fear, is verily called a wise man". To recover the original supreme wisdom of Self-nature (Buddha-nature or Tathagata) concealed by the self-imposed three dusty poisons (the kleshas: greed, anger, ignorance), Buddha taught to his students the threefold training by turning greed into generosity and discipline, anger into kindness and meditation, ignorance into wisdom.
In Hinduism, wisdom is considered a state of mind and soul with which a person achieves liberation. The God of wisdom is Ganesha. Wisdom in Hinduism is knowing one's Self as the Truth, as the basis for the entire Creation: Ultimate self-awareness as the one who witnesses the entire Creation in all its facets and forms. Further it means realisation that an individual may, through right conduct and right living, come to realise their true relationship with Creation. This is why creation is communing with the divine and is the inspiration for the best-selling book 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron, which has been used by millions of creatives including many Hollywood actors.
The Sanskrit verse to obtain wisdom is:
"Lead me from the unreal to the real. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality. May there be peace, peace, and peace."
Wisdom is a light that casts away darkness.
Wisdom and Truth, considered divine attributes, were valued in Islamic sciences and philosophy. In Taoism, wisdom is adherence to the three treasures: Charity: Simplicity; Humility. In Norse mythology, the god Odin is known for his wisdom, often as acquired through various hardships and ordeals involving pain and self-sacrifice.
Wisdom is so much more than knowledge
Nicholas Maxwell, a philosopher in the United Kingdom, believes that academia ought to alter its focus from the acquisition of knowledge to seeking and promoting wisdom. This he defines as "The capacity to realise what is of value in life, for one's Self and others". He teaches that new knowledge and technological know-how increase our power to act. Without wisdom though, Maxwell claims this new knowledge may cause human harm as well as human good. He argues that the pursuit of knowledge is indeed valuable and good, but that it should be considered a part of the broader task of improving wisdom. As Isaac Asimov wrote sardonically "The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."
Wisdom cannot be gleaned from books. You can't study for, or obtain, a PhD in wisdom or Truth (note the capital T for absolute Truth - more on this later). Knowledge is not wisdom. It is our lived experience, our own path on the Hero's Journey or our personal Transformation, that gives us wisdom, not books. As Elbert Hubbard wrote “God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.” Wounds are our wisdom, and are where the light gets in.
Wisdom is experiential - it comes from our lived experience, letting go of our ego (who is terrified of emotions) and turning inwards to our highest Self.
We are a knowledge-based 'civilisation', not a wisdom-based one. That is to our great detriment. Knowledge is not wisdom: Knowledge is simply agreed dogma. I went through my entire medical training, being taught much knowledge, gaining a doctorate and multiple higher degrees, but zero wisdom. We even celebrate knowledge, which is bizarre, as we only need Google to bring us knowledge. We don't need to memorise long lists of facts or dogma any more. That's why Uber has given Black Taxi Cabs in London such a shake up. But Google cannot bring us wisdom. Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of all time wrote "Any fool can know. The point is to understand... Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” Wisdom is a journey inwards that we each must take...
Critical to wisdom are certain meta-cognitive processes such as reflection about critical life matters. This includes being comfortable with not knowing. Thus, humility is a strength, as is vulnerability: We take off our masks (in other words, we drop our egos) without knowing the outcome, and yet trusting in it. This is why wisdom is linked to Faith. Trust me, I am not religious! Wisdom involves the ability to tolerate uncertainty in life, with unconditional acceptance, non-judgement, and non-attachment to outcomes. I firmly believe in teaching peace as the journey to wisdom.
Researchers have shown empirically that wise reasoning is distinct from our Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Balance appears to be a critical criterion of wisdom. Empirical research provides some support for this idea, showing that wisdom-related reasoning is associated with achieving balance between intrapersonal and interpersonal interests when facing personal life challenges, and when setting goals for managing interpersonal conflicts and drama using unbiased insights: Be a creator, not a 'victim'. In fake victimhood, there is no growth, learning, or wisdom. Individuals and other institutions suffer from "the Solomon's paradox" (described by Grossman and Kross): they reflect more wisely on other people's problems than on their own. This paradox sounds very much like denial and projection as described by the Masterful metaphysician and paradigm-changing psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung,
The statue by Rodin, The Thinker, was initially named The Poet (French: Le Poète). The statue depicts a nude male who is muscular and internalised, contemplating inwardly the actions and fate of the people while sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left thigh, holding the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy. It is fascinating that this iconic statue, deep in thought has come to represent wisdom and Truth rather than poetic reflection. However, the statue was never called 'The Scientist'. So, where do we find wisdom, and what is it? The statue suggests that inner thought rather than experimentation may be the path to wisdom, and that wisdom may be related to art and creativity in some way...
'The Thinker' (Le Penseur) by Auguste Rodin, 1904
Wisdom and emotions
Researchers also explore the role of emotions in wisdom. Most agree that emotions and emotional regulation are key to effectively managing the kinds of complex and stimulating situations that most call for wisdom. As mentioned above, much empirical research has focused on the cognitive or meta-cognitive (the process of thinking about one's own thinking and learning) aspects of wisdom, assuming that an ability to reason through difficult situations is paramount. So although emotions likely play a role in how wisdom plays out in real events (and in reflecting on past events), empirical studies were late to develop on how emotions affect a person's ability to deal wisely with complex events. One study found a positive relationship between diversity of emotional experience and wise reasoning, irrespective of emotional intensity.
Rumi wrote "The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
Wisdom is timeless
Wisdom and Truth have been repeatedly expressed through the millennia. From the Bhagavad Gita (also known as the 'Gita', which is one of the most revered Hindu texts and dates from the second half of the first millennium BC), through Stoic Philosophy (from around 300 BC), Buddhism (marked by the Birth of Siddhartha Gautama around 500 BC), the Bible, Nietzsche, Carl Gustav Jung, the Existentialists to modern day wisdom seekers such as Eckhart Tolle, Michael Singer, Anthony de Mello, and Marianne Williamson (who has recently run as an American Presidential candidate) these prophets have spoken to us of wisdom and Truth. I have provided the above links to books which will change your life, and also a suggested reading list.
As Jesus (a genius of a human being) said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The message of these various schools of thought, Masters, metaphysicians, and prophets is always the same: One of articulating what a conversation with a supreme being would look like. For example, summarising the Upanishadic conceptions of God, the Gita posits the existence of an individual self (Atman) and the supreme Self (Brahman) within each being.
The Bhagavad Gita in 90 seconds - just in case you are in a rush!
The dialogue between the prince and his charioteer in the Gita has been interpreted as a metaphor for an immortal dialogue between the human self and God. Every generation has its own prophets: This is a person regarded as an inspired teacher, speaker and proclaimer of the will of God or divine wisdom and revelations. They restate the same priceless immutable wisdom, but there is nothing new. Wisdom and Truth are timeless and unchangeable. They apply to all people and all situations at all times.
Sapience and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Sapience ("sophia" in Greek) is "transcendent wisdom", "ultimate reality", or the ultimate Truth of things. This more cosmic, "bigger picture" definition is often how wisdom ("true wisdom") is considered in a spiritual context (spiritual does not mean Religion, which does contain Truth but also so much dogma and judgement as religions were created and edited by human beings).
Sapience transcends mere practical wisdom and may include deep understanding of the Self, interconnectedness, conditioned origination, and phenomenological insight. A person with this type of wisdom can act with appropriate judgment, a broad understanding of situations, and greater appreciation and compassion towards other living beings. The word sapience is derived from the Latin sapientia, meaning "wisdom". The corresponding verb sapere has the original meaning of "to taste", hence "to perceive, to discern" and "to know"; its present participle sapiens was chosen by Carl Linnaeus for the Latin binomial for the human species, Homo sapiens. Yet we as a species don't value wisdom. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) begins to replace many human functions and roles in our knowledge-based civilisation, one positive is that it frees us from the prison (and drudgery) of knowledge, allowing us to find inner wisdom instead, become teachers of it, and find peace, love and joy. AI can replace knowledge but it can't replace wisdom, which our species is named after! Maybe AI will push us into our true purpose? Only humans can have wisdom. Why don't we dive in to wisdom and leave the repetitive meaningless roles to computers? That sounds good to me!
Enlightenment
The minority of scientists who are atheists (some are agnostic and some are believers in some kind of Higher Power (80% of American scientists believe in some kind of Higher Power)) proclaim that 'God is dead!' or that he never existed. The 'Enlightenment', an intellectual movement that emerged in Western Europe in the mid 1600s and provided the ideological basis which led to the overthrow of the French monarchy during the French Revolution, claimed that there was no such thing as divine power. The ideas of the Enlightenment undermined the authority of the monarchy and the Catholic Church and paved the way for the political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, but also for totalitarian states with Dystopian ideals. The 'Enlightenment' was based on the pursuit of knowledge, not an awakening to Truth. The Enlightenment was preceded by the Scientific Revolution and the work of Francis Bacon and John Locke, among others. Some date the beginning of the Enlightenment to the publication of René Descartes' Discourse on the Method in 1637, featuring his famous dictum, Cogito, ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am"). This dictum is actually wrong: Descartes should have said “I free my mind from thinking, therefore I am aware.” Freeing your mind from fear-based thoughts is the path to true Enlightenment. Jesus said "The Truth will set you free." Dogma enslaves us. Why do we insist on being enslaved to our false 'Gods'?
Science
Albert Einstein believed in vastly superior spirits, our souls, higher Universal Intelligence, miracles and rapturous cosmic spiritual experience. He was more than simply a scientific genius: He was also a spiritual Master (like William Shakespeare and Carl Jung). Einstein said of science that “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”
Science, like religion, also contains ego and dogma. The difference between spirituality and science is that the former is at ease with not knowing: That is a power. I can say that, as an academic with a tissue engineering science doctorate, a medical degree and a Master's degree in The Philosophy of Science and Medicine from Trinity College, Cambridge (apologies if my ego piped up for a second there). Science can't prove anything to be true. It can only prove that something is not true. Hypotheses are simply true until they are not true. Einstein wrote “One thing I have learned in a long life: That all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have.” Or is it? What about wisdom? Where do we look for it? Einstein wrote “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” During my medical training so many 'truths' changed that I realised that science is not the purveyor of Truth. 'Scientific fact' that had been held for decades or even centuries would change in a matter of weeks or months. Truth is timeless: Science without wisdom isn't. Einstein wrote “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.”
For me, wisdom is to learn (or rather remember) who you are, and to get total crystal clarity on how the world works. The vast majority of people don't know about either of these elements, at least not until they awaken through real Enlightenment, with the guidance of an Enlightened Witness.Without such guidance, seekers would need a time machine to achieve it in one lifetime.
Einstein wrote “It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that "Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us." Einstein also knew that there was more to life than just molecules, atoms and sub-atomic particles. Essentially, and as has been actually been observed by scientists in the Large Hadron Collider, we are all energy, not matter, when you look in closely enough. What is this energy? It is love. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said "I believe that unarmed Truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
Immanuel Kant, the brilliant German philosopher, one of the central Enlightenment thinkers, one of the most influential figures in modern Western philosophy, wrote “Science is organised knowledge. Wisdom is organised life.” In his doctrine of transcendental idealism, Kant argued space and time are mere "Forms of intuition" that structure all experience and that the objects of experience are mere illusions or "Appearances": That the nature of things as they are in themselves is unknowable to us. Not unless we include the perceptions of the heart: Truth is based on feelings. Plato said "Science is nothing but perception." He added "Wisdom alone is the science of other sciences."
Blaise Pascal, the mathematician, pioneer in the Natural Sciences, and philosopher who had a spiritual experience, said “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of... We know the Truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.”
Yoda
In the Star Wars Universe, wisdom is valued. George Lucas incorporated spirituality and morality, recurrent in mythological and philosophical themes, into the films; one of his inspirations was Joseph Campbell's The Hero of a Thousand Faces, describing the Hero's Journey. The character Master Yoda from the films evokes the trope of the wise sage or "Monk", and he is frequently quoted, analogously to Chinese thinkers or Eastern sages in general. Psychologist D. W. Kreger's book The Tao of Yoda adapts the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching in relation to Yoda's thinking. Knowledge is canonically considered one of the pillars of the films' Jedi knights, something expanded upon in the non-canon book The Jedi Path, and wisdom can serve as a tenet for Jediism. In a psychology populational study published by Grossmann and team in 2019, respondents considered Yoda to be wiser than Spock, a fictional character from the Star Trek series, due to Spock's blind spot for emotion, which was positively associated with wise reasoning in people: "Yoda embraces his emotions and aims to achieve a balance between them. Yoda is known to be emotionally expressive, to share a good joke with others, but also to recognise sorrow and his past mistakes". 'The Force' is the metaphysical equivalent of Universal intelligence, creativity, and real personal power.
The Wisdom of Yoda
Your soul
Bob Marley sang “Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold.” Is your soul the ultimate guide to wisdom and Truth? I believe that wisdom is the divine intuition that your soul receives when you are fully present. If we tell our Artificial Intelligence computers nothing then what can they tell us?: Nothing. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is unable to look inwards and receive higher intuition through feelings. As part of Transformative Life Coaching (TLC), I will guide you to your find inner timeless wisdom and start hearing your small quiet voice of intuition. It's the journey of a lifetime. But one upon which if you don't embark upon, you will never find your soul, who you truly are, and gain the world. There is no other way and no short cut to wisdom. Wisdom is the Grace that you will receive by doing the inner work. Saint Augustine wrote "Patience is the companion of wisdom." If you do this, AI cannot replace you, you will be standing on the shoulders of giants and you will be able to move mountains with your real personal power. Are you protesting that this is not the answer? As the musical genius Jimi Hendrix said “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” The ego speaks, our higher Self listens.
No-one can agree on what is the wise choice in any given situation. That is because people don't know what the basis of their decision making could and should be. The wise choice in any situation is the one that is made from a place of unconditional love: Every human thought, feeling, decision, choice, action and consequence is either based on love or fear. When we are BEing love, our intuition will always guide us to wisdom. Anthony De Mello wrote “There are only two things in the world - fear and love. There is only one evil in the world - fear. There is only one good in the world - love. It is also called joy, peace, serenity, spirituality, freedom, awareness.”
So the wise choice in any situation is to ask your Self "What would love/my higher Self/God do?" Wisdom is the intuition that you receive when you commune with the Universal Intelligence. This Universal mind is limitless in its capacity. Einstein wrote "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant."
Wisdom may mean detaching from someone with love. It may be to bring Truth and clarity to a situation so that people can realise of their own accord that all they need to do is to look within and heal themselves, and stop all the blaming and conflict that defines our (lack of) 'civilisation'. Your perceived problem is never your real problem. Your only real problem is that you have forgotten who you truly are. It's as simple as that. All Truth is obtained by remembering who you are. You are forgiven for forgetting, everyone does. That's because the ego screams loudly in your ear. Once you find the still quiet voice (of your soul/Higher Power) within everything changes. Your soul will guide you to wisdom and Truth: Without fail. For a blissful life, make it one of presence at all times, and when you need to make a decision in the forks in the road, just ask your Self "What would my highest Self choose/express right now?"
Lord Byron wrote “There is no instinct like that of the heart.” True wisdom comes from the heart, which is where the soul lives, not the mind, so until we can build a human heart into computers, we will not get back any wisdom other that what we have inputed. We need to drop out of minds and into our hearts. Wisdom is a feeling. The heart is where our feelings reside. Maya Angelou wrote “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”
Finding wisdom will mean letting go of all your attachments, judgements and resistance. As Mark Twain wrote "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform, or pause and reflect.” Herman Hesse wrote in his brilliant transformative book, 'Siddhartha' “Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” Your own mind stands in the way of a clear view of God. Your mind gives you clouded perception: This leads to fear, anger, blame, insecurity, conflict and war. So, God is simply another word for energy, love or Universal Intelligence. Go with feelings - they will lead you to wisdom. This is why you are unable to access the answers through wisdom. Let me be your guide.
Einstein beautifully summarised what wisdom is and that in humans it comes from "The harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection." This feeling was the guiding principle of his life and work, in so far as he succeeded in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire (the ego). It is beyond question; closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages.
So, wisdom is a complex and multifaceted construct that refers to the ability to make sound judgements and decisions in the face of uncertain or ambiguous circumstances. It allows us to deal with the 'unknown unknowns' in the 'Johari Window'. TLC is about getting insights into what you don’t know that you don’t know: Our deepest fears. How to deal with what we don’t know. The answer is by BEing - the possibility of wisdom is so much more important than knowledge. It involves a combination of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural processes that enable us to navigate complex social and moral dilemmas and to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Wisdom is an important topic of study because it is a fundamental human capacity that is critical for personal and societal well-being. Wisdom is an important factor in decision-making, as it can help you to make better choices in a variety of contexts, such as financial, health, and moral decision-making, enabling you to keep life in balance. Wisdom is also an essential ingredient in effective leadership, as it can help leaders to navigate complex organisational and societal challenges and promote the wellbeing of your followers. Wisdom is the key to Universal Intelligence. Immanuel Kant wrote "To be is to do". To me, this is one of the shortest and deepest philosophical statements of all time.
Again, simply ask "What would love do?" This will give you all the intuitive wisdom that you need.
What is Truth?
Truth is Universal. Absolute Truth can't be put into words: It's 'unknowable.' The Buddha said “Truths cannot be acquired from words out of other people's mouths. Before Truths can be internalised, they must come from one's own realisations and practices. Through a lifetime of personal practice, human beings are capable of revealing all of the secrets of the cosmic essence.” Arthur Schopenhauer, the brilliant German philosopher wrote "The fundament upon which all our knowledge and learning rests is the inexplicable." Plato wrote "Truth is the beginning of every good to the Gods, and of every good to man."
Winston Churchill said "Men occasionally stumble over the Truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." Yet the Truth it is so simple. Galileo Gallilei wrote "All Truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." Yet Truth cannot be hidden, as Buddha said "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the Truth." Elvis Presley said "Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away."
As Henry David Thoreau said "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Truth doesn't change. Truth is timeless. Truth just is. The problem is that most of us don't know how to access it. Truth is not affected by emotion, even though Truth must be felt. Emotion may initially cause some people to react like a child, rather than respond as their higher adult true Self.
Truth is a feeling that can't be expressed in words.
Truth can only be described through metaphor. It can only be approximated, until you feel it your Self: The only way to understand Truth is to experience it. This only happens in conversation between one Enlightened soul and another. Between an Enlightened Witness and another higher seeker of Truth. Truth is the 'Great remembering.' It is the desire to know who you are. At the Temple of Apollo in Delphi the inscription above the entrance is "Know Thyself."
Temple of Apollo in Delphi
Temple of Apollo: The inscription above the entrance is "Know Thyself"
As Lao Tzu wrote in the Tao Te Ching “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”As William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” As Aristotle wrote "Knowing your Self is the beginning of all wisdom.”
Meister Eckhart, the German scholar and philosopher, wrote "A human being has so many skins inside (ego), covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know our Selves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know your Self there."
Pain is the greatest teacher. Lord Byron wrote “Adversity is the first path to Truth.”
It's hard to disagree with these greats, especially when I feel it to be true. Do you? Yet? Transformative Life Coaching (TLC) is the fast track to knowing your Self. Otherwise it may take many lifetimes (if you believe in that) and many, many mistakes in all areas of your life.
Einstein said “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” Once we move beyond words and thoughts, creativity is the highest form of intelligence as it is like communing with the divine. Einstein wrote “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Creativity is communing with one's higher Self and with the Universal Intelligence that underlies the Truth.
How do we access Truth? I will teach you how in TLC. We access Truth via meditation and presence.
As Mahatma Ghandi wrote "Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear."
How do we know when we are getting close to Truth? As Rumi wrote "That which is false troubles the heart, but Truth brings joyous tranquillity." Would we recognise Truth, even if it slapped us in the face? As Arthur Schopenhauer, the great, if pessimistic, philosopher wrote "All Truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Peace if possible, Truth at all costs."
It's not your fault. It's the human condition and we all have it. The fact that you have forgotten this is creating all the limiting beliefs in your life and is the only thing holding you back from being limitless and glorious: From owning your Real Personal Power.
My purpose as a Transformative Life Coach (TLC) is to help you remember who you are. The way that I do this is that I will see you, hear you, value you, not judge you in any way and will create spce for you to remember your true Personal Power. You are a limitless being who is being limited by your limiting beliefs! Who would you be and what would you do if you deeply remembered this? We will expand your consciousness until you step into BEing.
As the brilliant poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran wrote "The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind." It's your choice whether you go in. In the iconic film 'The Matrix' Morpheus reminds Neo “I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.”
In TLC I will guide you to finding your wisdom and Truth, not mine. You will find that they are the same, in your own time. To find Truth do we need a soul? John Keats wrote “Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a soul?” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."
Speaking the Truth may be hard but it's always worth doing: As Mahatma Gandhi said "Even if you are a minority of one, the Truth is the Truth." Why must we know the Truth? Thomas Huxley puts this best "Learn what is true in order to do what is right." The Truth, as described above, guides every decision that we will ever make.
Bruce Lee said in 'Enter the Dragon' "Don't think, feel! It's like pointing a finger away to the moon. Do not concengtrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heaven
A holistic view to Truth is required. A move from learning to experiencing. Thinking to feeling. A journey from the mind to the heart, the soul. This taught me the importance of being a wounded healing healer: An Enlightened Witness. You can't guide someone on their journey unless you have taken 'The Journey' your Self. I have walked your path. I know it well.
We always want to create something that is more powerful and all knowing than us to solve all our problems. This is why we invented God, religion and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Einstein wrote "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of Truth." Our problems are just due to our way of thinking: Thinking from fear (the language of the ego). We are standing in our own way. The good news is that we don’t need anyone or anything to fix us and we have all the answers already. We have simply forgotten them as well as who we are. We need to let go of who we think we are - the ego. And get in touch with who we truly are - a soul. Our ego wants solutions, answers, to control everything, and to have coping mechanisms - 'imitation love'. Our soul is love. It needs no solution or answer. Truth is our ladder to the next stage of our Transformative Journey.
We use the word God which is the Universal Intelligence described above by Einstein. Call it what you will: Once you feel it you will know the Truth. You may get glimpses of it in Nature: The beauty and power of a panorama; a sea-scape; a sunset; the night sky. This is you: Jesus said "For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Habitual thinking is not thinking: It’s psychology, not deep TLC coaching. You already know what to do. You simply need to remember who you are and stop leaving that place.
Mark Twain reminds us of the nature of thought and confabulation "Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts or happenings. It consist mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one's head."
Erich Fromm wrote “It is naively assumed that the fact that the majority of people share certain ideas or feelings proves the validity of these ideas and feelings. Nothing is further from the Truth. Consensual validation as such has no bearing on reason or mental health. Just as there is a "folie a deux" there is a "folie a millions". The fact that millions of people share the same vices does not make these vices virtues, the fact that they share so many errors does not make the errors to be Truths, and the fact that millions of people share the same forms of mental pathology does not make these people sane.” Thought creates your reality. Thoughts can change in an instant. This is why your mood can go from happiness to depression in seconds: It's all thought. It's all made up; all illusion, and all is well.
Einstein wrote "The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavours, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts - possessions, outward success, luxury - have always seemed to me contemptible." These are all 'imitation love.' Real love will give you all the wisdom and Truth that you seek. We cannot find Truth through fear.
As Einstein said “Problems cannot be solved with the same mind set that created them.” He also said “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” A miracle is simply a shift in perception from fear to love. The only thing that you are looking for is your Higher Self. It never left you. You simply forgot who you really are as you were asleep. That is the Truth. As Epictetus wrote “Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
Sydney Banks wrote "When the answers are complicated, it's the Intellect. When the answers are simple, it's the Spirit": In other words, the part of the Universe that speaks intuitively to your soul or to your Higher Power.
Wisdom can never be gained through reading alone. Inner peace can never be found through studying the teachings of others alone. True wisdom will be found in your heart when you take the inner journey.
Think with your open heart. As Immanuel Kant wrote "The human heart refuses to believe in a Universe Without a purpose"...
Sending you love, light, and blessings.
Please let me know if you would like to join my 'VOICE for men' group: 'Vulnerability & Openness Is a Choice Ensemble', where men can find their strength, courage, and authenticity, by dropping their egocentric fears and instead communicate openly with vulnerability. It will change your life. It will empower you. This community is a safe space for men to connect and discuss philosophy, spirituality, positive psychology, and timeless truths, to share our experience, strength and hope, and to find solutions to our pain and fears.
Olly Alexander Branford MD, MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD
My gift is to be your guide. Let me know if you would like to continue this conversation...
Email me: hello@transformativelifecoach.co.uk
“Transformative life coaching uniquely creates and holds the space for you to see your self afresh, with clarity, and step into new ways of BEing, which will transform how you perceive and intuitively create your world. My work is to guide you to raise your own conscious awareness to the level that you want to achieve.” Olly Alexander Branford
My coaching themes and services - I work 1:1 and in groups with men who are looking for: Transformative Life Coaching, Transformational Coaching, Life Coaching, Personal Coaching, Positive Psychology Coaching, Recovery Coaching, Trauma Informed Coaching, Work Addiction Coaching, Workaholism Coaching, Addiction Coaching, Mindfulness Coaching.
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Hello,
I am very pleased to meet you. Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my website for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching. I am here to serve you.
See you soon,
Olly Alexander Branford MD, MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD
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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have published over 50 peer reviewed scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for four years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works.