Have you ever thought about the difference between wisdom and power? Both can be the mark of personal growth. Personal power and wisdom alike can attract us towards another human being, and inspire us to seek his or her company and advice. People with personal power can influence us and change the course of our life, while wise people can inspire us and guide us. The problem is that we often confuse the two: power and wisdom, in reality, do not always go hand in hand. With no expectation to give definitive answers, let’s try to deepen our understanding of these two important qualities of human beings.
What is personal power?
Personal power is, basically, the ability to reflect one’s will into the external world. It is the capacity to “impress” our ideas into the external environment, shaping the world so that it is in harmony with our vision. Personal power can be developed by mental training, physical exercise, or even by gaining wealth and social status: all of these factors enable us to exert more influence over the world around us.
Even knowledge is, in a certain sense, a refined form of personal power. In our highly technological and interconnected world, those who control information have access to perhaps the subtlest form of power. That is why governments and corporations alike spend millions of dollars in gathering, controlling, and securing knowledge and information.
As long as we don’t convert it into a goal in itself, there is nothing wrong with developing our personal power. More power means more effectiveness in the world, and that can be very useful. Because power in itself is neither good nor bad, however, it can be used for the common good, or to destroy and manipulate. Focusing on power only can be risky: power alone cannot guarantee that we are acting for the benefit of all. In order to have this broader vision, we need something different: wisdom.
This is the reason why all the great spiritual masters have warned us against amassing too much power. What shall we do once we have obtained it? Shall we use it change the world to our liking? Will we make people do things that they wouldn’t do if they could decide for themselves? One of the greatest temptations of power is that it seems to offer a shortcut to make the world “a better place”. We all have our standards of how the world should be, and we can be tempted to “push” people into adopting our views and behaving the way we would like them to.
Ultimately, personal power can be extremely useful, but also dangerous. If wisdom isn’t there to guide it, then power can end up in a blind display of vanity and egoism. This is why the more our personal power grows, the more we should develop wisdom as well.
What is wisdom?
Wisdom is difficult to define, but relatively easy to recognize. It is different and independent from personal power. We could say that wisdom is the manifestation of a connection to something higher, greater, and transcendental. Wisdom implies perspective: the capacity to have a bird’s eye view of what is happening around us, as if looking from a higher place. This sense of perspective grants the capacity to tell what is conducive to the greater good from what isn’t.
Wisdom is thus related to the perception of the common good, which is, in turn, whatever fosters evolution. The “common good” means, ultimately, whatever is in line with the continuous process of evolution on Earth, the long journey towards an ever increasing complexity and consciousness within the life forms of this planet.
If the Universe and our planet Earth are going towards a certain goal, if there is an ongoing process of evolution, then wisdom means being attuned with this process and supporting it. If, as some people claim, there isn’t any form of evolution and our existence is just a chaotic sequence of events, then speaking of wisdom does not make much sense. In the end of the day, it is up to each one of us to choose whether we believe in evolution or not, whether we see the Universe as full of meaning or just a chaotic play of random forces.
Cultivating wisdom
We can cultivate wisdom by experiencing life, studying, meditating and, let’s not forget, by listening to the opinion of others. We cannot really understand the common good without listening to other people’s ideas about happiness, love, freedom, and so on. I believe that virtually no human being can become wise on his or her own; wisdom is based on a collective effort and understanding.
On a practical level, in order to develop wisdom, we can start by listening to others. Listening to our parents, our family, our friends, and especially listening to people with completely different opinions from ours. When we listen to someone whose opinion is different from ours and we make an effort to see his or her perspective, we have the opportunity to access something higher and more complex than our limited point of view. As far as wisdom is concerned, those that we disagree with are among the ones that can teach us the most.
Wisdom is an expansion, an opening of the mind. The wise man is one who has exceptionally broadened his worldview, and encompasses in his thoughts a greater portion of humanity than the average person. The elder and wisest members of a community used to have the honor (and burden) of listening to everyone’s problems and complaints. They were supposed to put themselves into other people’s shoes, see through their eyes, and provide advice and guidance that was tailored to the needs of the listener.
Recognizing wisdom in others
How do we recognize wisdom in others? Although there isn’t a fixed rule, in my opinion wisdom should be easy and natural to perceive. If we strain to find wisdom in someone or something, most likely we are looking in the wrong direction. Wisdom shines with ease: it is peaceful, tranquil, and doesn’t need to assert itself with force.
When we hear truly wise words, they almost always ring a bell. It feels like we are remembering something we knew all along. Because wisdom taps into the universal truth of evolution, it secretly appeals to everyone, whether they know it or not. Even as we were children, at times people around us said things that we intuitively felt were right. We felt as if we could “remember” those truths without strain, without effort. That is one of the landmarks of wisdom, although not every commonplace idea is necessarily wise.
Wisdom is always accompanied by love, compassion, and forgiveness. No one can utter wise words when they are angry, scared, or envious. An angry person can indeed speak with great power and vehemence, but never with real wisdom. Wisdom and anger repel each other and cannot really exist simultaneously, like love and fear.
Powerful and wise people
The world is full of men and women who can influence the reality around them through money, status, or personal power. Powerful people are abundant. Only a fraction of them, however, possess wisdom. Similarly, there is plenty of wise people who don’t have a lot of personal power. Wise people are often relatively powerless. The elderly in most societies, for example, are usually very wise, although their power to change the external world may be limited.
It is important to keep the distinction between powerful and wise people clear. When we are facing a difficult decision and need advice, we should seek counsel from the wise. They are the only ones that can guide us in the direction of evolution. It doesn’t really matter whether they are powerful or not, and in some cases, their relative powerlessness can be an advantage. If someone cannot influence us in any other way than by giving us wise advice, that means that they are not trying to manipulate or overpower us.
The relationship between power and wisdom
Within an individual, wisdom should guide power rather than the other way around. On a collective level, the same rule applies: power should be, in a certain sense, subordinated to wisdom. In any form of true democracy, the wise and the powerful people are kept separated. The powerful should respond to the wise, and they should follow the vision and advice of the wise. If the “powers that be” are not subordinated to the wise, the whole society shifts towards a dictatorship.
We are often inclined to confuse wisdom with personal power. For example, when we observe uncommon power in someone, we are tempted to conclude that he or she is also a wise being. But developing great personal power does not necessarily imply possessing wisdom as well. This is a fallacy that leads to many misunderstandings and confusions. The fact that someone has even paranormal powers does not say much about his or her wisdom. Although we may have a lot to learn from powerful people, we should always maintain a clear and unbiased judgment over their wisdom or absence thereof.
We also need to realize that power is tempting and sexy, while wisdom is not. Most people, in one way or another, desire power. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to influence the world and change it to our liking? Wouldn’t we actually make it a better world to live in? If you look honestly inside, you will most likely find that you are seduced by power, whether under the form of wealth, social status, or physical and mental ability.
Within reasonable limits, I think there is nothing wrong in expanding our capacity to influence the world and modify it. But we also need to cultivate a level of wisdom that matches our increasing power, because wisdom without power is harmless, but power without wisdom can be dangerous. The more powerful we become, the more harm we can potentially do, even with the best intentions. Power is like electricity: it can be both useful and dangerous depending on who is using it and why. Harnessing power implies an ever-increasing responsibility that needs to be backed up by wisdom and common sense.
Conclusion
Both powerful teachers and wise masters are helpful for spiritual growth and human development. Yet, although some exceptional people can possess both power and wisdom, this is quite rare. In general, it behooves us to be alert to whether it is wisdom or power that is attracting us to a certain teacher or practice. By maintaining a clear awareness and humble attitude, we can develop our personal power harmoniously, while at the same time tapping more and more into the infinite intelligence and wisdom of the Universe. Only when our power is guided by wisdom, can it serve the common good, and foment human evolution.
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Fantastic article. Please accept my gracious thanks and I wish you more blessings. Thank you.
David