Posts Tagged: asking information the right questions

“THE (MIS)INFORMATION AGE?”

On August 26, 2018 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I’ve tried to enter the twenty-first century.  I really have.  I have learned how to turn on a computer, and even use it a bit.  I don’t very often look up words in my print dictionary.  (Where is that dusty old thing, anyway?)  Instead, I google words.  I have a Face Book account, and occasionally look at it, though I’m not really sure how it works.  I like to find out about little-known authors, musicians, and philosophers by reading what Wikipedia has to say about them.  I even use the computer for research and teaching.  So, I am not a total luddite when it comes to the internet.

However, I wonder sometimes about this time in which I live, this “Information Age.”  Sometimes I wonder.

I encountered a man the other day, who was making a bunch of really bizarre claims, all of which he had found (I think) on the internet.  It sometimes feels to me as if we live in the “Misinformation Age.”

But I have an even deeper misgiving:  What if we’re drowning in information, even as we are dying of thirst for wisdom?

What is the difference?  Aren’t information and wisdom the same?

I think not!  I’ve known people who were cornucopias of information who were about as wise as a bucket of rocks.  Who knows: The rocks may even have been wiser than them.  By the same token, I’ve known people who were wise, but had very little information.

Wisdom has been defined in many ways.  My current working definition is this: Wisdom is the consistent determination to decide what really matters, and to live out consistently what really matters.

I encounter a lot of people these days with lots of information, but very few who are living wisely.

Now, don’t misunderstand.  Information can be very helpful.  Whether you are cooking a meal or doing brain surgery, information has its place.  Whether you are cooking me a meal or operating on my brain, I will be much happier if you know what you are doing.

But even in those areas, mere information isn’t enough.  Wise decisions can’t always be made apart from good information, but good information doesn’t necessarily lead to wise decisions.  An informed cook or a skillful brain surgeon needs to be wise in deciding whether a rich dessert or tricky brain surgery is really the best way to go.

So, how do we acquire or deepen our wisdom in the information age?  I don’t know, but I have some suspicions.

The first order of business is to become dissatisfied with mere information.  Questions must be asked.  Is this information relevant?  How important is it, really?  Is this information accurate?  How do I know it is accurate?  (The current philosophy seems to be that, if I heard it on my favorite network or internet source, it must be true, and everything else is “fake news.)

The second thing I would suggest for anyone seeking wisdom is to slow down.  Information moves fast.  Wisdom does not.  Let information pass you by.  Don’t worry!  It may well be obsolete soon anyway.  In fact, it may have always been obsolete.

Third, take the long view of things.  Information shouts, “Now!”  Wisdom whispers, “Now.”  These are very different “nows.”

 

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