Wisdom Paradigm: Part One With all the wealth and education and progress that we have today, why do our lives and our nation seem like such a confusing, disorienting mess? Why are people saying and doing things that seem so dumb and contradictory? Why do we feel like basic morality has collapsed and we’re headed the wrong direction? Welcome back for the third blog in a series that tells the story of how we got into this mess and how we can get out of it. Here’s the good news. When we untangle this mess and stop doing dumb things, we’ll be in position to do some really great things. The fact that we are disoriented and uncomfortable in our lives and society are the best indicators that we are in the wrong place. We drifted off-course somewhere. We’re looking at life the wrong way. The solution? We’re going to find our anchor points, figure out where we went off course, and get back on course. We’re going to find the right way to understand life—the Truth about life—that will help us pursue Happiness and thrive. So, what was our original course? What was the original paradigm—the original way of understanding life—that we drifted from? The Wisdom Paradigm The more you know the Wisdom Paradigm, the better your knowledge of life and the more successful you can be. We’ll start with the anchor points for the Wisdom Paradigm. Here’s what we’ll discuss: * We all have the same human nature. Times change, technology changes, but human nature has stayed the same through cultures and history * All people have the same purpose in life, to fulfill our human nature, to pursue Happiness * We pursue Happiness by becoming good people with good character. We become good by practicing virtues like love, courage and wisdom until they become fundamental parts of our character—of who we are * Our understanding of life is built on the foundation of purpose and reason. Our purpose, Happiness, is our destination in life. Reason tells us how to get there * Finally, your life is your unique story of becoming a good person as you pursue Happiness Human Nature and Purpose The Wisdom Paradigm is based on the idea that we, as human beings, all have the same human nature and have the same purpose in life—to pursue fulfillment of our human nature and achieve Happiness. According to the Wisdom Paradigm, no matter what culture or time period, human nature doesn’t change. Human nature has been the same through history and will be the same moving into the future. That’s why we all understand things like love, fear, courage, joy, anxiety the same way no matter our culture, ethnicity or time. The fact that we have the same human nature, the same concerns about life and death, and community, is what unites us as one humanity across cultures and time. While our DNA is what makes us homo sapiens, it is our shared human nature that makes us all human. We read Shakespeare today because, 400 years after his death, what he said about love, betrayal, humor and ambition remains wise and relevant to us. King David wrote the Psalms reflecting on the trials, tribulations and joys of his life. We read them 3000 years later because we connect with their wisdom and guidance even though we live in a completely different culture and time. When times are tough, don’t many of us turn to Psalm 23? Like David, we gain comfort understanding that though we walk in the valley of the shadow of darkness, we fear no evil because God is at our side. 30 centuries after they were written, the Psalms remain powerful and relevant for us today because we have the same human nature.
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