Wisdom helped Solomon some, but in the end, not enough. King David is revered more than King Solomon. Why?

Wisdom appears to be not enough, or so the comparison between Solomon and David would seem to say. Perhaps it is that, as has been said, that David was a man after God's own heart, that makes the difference. Not just wisdom, but heart, should be valued, and even the wise should know that.

But even in knowing some piece of wisdom, there is a difference between wisdom and application of that wisdom. If that is the case, is it really wisdom? If wisdom really isn't knowledge, but is something above and beyond it that can't just be represented as knowledge, then wisdom must be not just a thing that can be known, but also a thing that can be lived. This is sounding strangely like gnosis.

Characteristics of wisdom so far:

* lived, rather than just known

* prescriptive, rather than just descriptive knowledge

* teleological, in the sense of being concerned with ultimate long-term "goals" or ends of all rather than anything shorter term

Unfortunately this isn't the form of wisdom that appears to be popular to talk about and study because the teleological aspect relates wisdom to religion in a non-scientific manner.

But, it is important to not be swayed from this path of true wisdom.

Monotony can numb the mind. For this reason it is wise to avoid it.

There is a danger in seeking excessive attention. Seek just the right amount - no more, no less.

Anything else runs counter to appropriate humility, and we ought all be humble before God.

Humility is very key, but empowerment is as well. They seem to be opposed. How to resolve the difference?

When speaking of empowerment, remember that it (like all) comes from God. In this way, one can reconcile humility with empowerment.

Thus, one must see one's self first-and-foremost as an agent of God, in a humble way, to retain both empowerment and humility.

What goes around comes around.

Determine the proper direction to channel one's energies, then channel them that way.

This is important for all forms of energy, but most especially libido.

When you are going down, turn around before you hit bottom.

In time, we become less original as memetic stagnation kicks in. Only new input - the type of input that causes cognitive dissonance - can remedy that. But maybe that input source ought be God?

It is good to find role models to look towards: heroes, as it were, to inspire us.

There is a connection between arrogance, humility, and empathy.

In arrogance of reason, one sees one's actions on the same scale as others, but lacks humility when it comes to the process of determining those actions. Thus, this is a lack of empathy for different decision-making processes.

In arrogance of person, one sees one's reasoning on the same scale as others, but lacks humility when it comes to measuring the consequences of one's actions. Thus there is a lack of empathy for different consequences.

True humility and empathy manages to avoid both of the above.

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