How Wisdom seems to Work
All of us can picture scenarios in our minds when thoughts have suddenly dropped in "out of the blue". Wisdom, too, seems to descend on us, usually just when we need it, but sometimes when it might provide a lesson to us after we've messed up a situation where a dollop of wisdom might have helped. In any case, neither emergent thought (commonly called ideas) nor wisdom can be commanded to appear. Both require a kind of eager openness on our part to allow them access to our minds.
We can, however, practise being open. Artists of all kinds make use of the notion. They write, paint, compose, create as much and as often as they can, trying to stay in a state of mind which will allow access to wisdom, or its "child", ideas. Indeed, as any artistic performer can verify, practise often makes it possible to call up the proper, wisdom/ideas-sensitive mind-state on command.
Extracted Wisdom Tooth (Dentist's Office in Munich...
(159/365) Wisdom of the week: Friday means it's ov...
Personification of wisdom (in Greek, "Σοφία" ...Can the possession of a knowledge base help here? Does it help to have information flowing? In my world, it depends on what importance I place on having specific knowledge, or on focussing on specific information. I find that immersing myself in information streams helps to energise something which lets the creative muse in, as long as I don't try to reject anything out-of-hand. I think that there must be some connexion betwixt a heavy concentration of info-centred activity and a readiness to receive ideas "from the blue". But, as I said above, being judgmental about the information up front can abort the entire process.
Elders who can access wisdom on a regular basis apparently also must keep themselves mentally active in some way. Those who manage to provide wisdom to the young on a regular and reliable basis...