Why Does Inconsiderate, Self-centered, Foolish, Uncivilized Behavior Surprise Us?

     "We live in a society that encourages us to think about how to have a great career but leaves many of us inarticulate about how to cultivate the inner life. The competition to succeed and win admiration is so fierce that it becomes all-consuming. The consumer marketplace encourages us to live by a utilitarian calculus, to satisfy our desires and lose sight of the moral stakes involved in everyday decisions. The noise of fast and shallow communications makes it harder to hear the quieter sounds that emanate from the depths. We live in a culture that teaches us to promote and advertise ourselves and to master the skills required for success, but that gives little encouragement to humility, sympathy, and honest self-confrontation, which are necessary for building character."                            David Brooks. "The Road to Character." Random House, NY, 2015.

     "We happen to live in a society that favors ... characteristics that turns you into a shrewd animal that treats life as a game. You become a cold, calculating creature, who slips into a sort of mediocrity."                                        David Brooks, from his TEDtalk below

Smarts AND Wisdom?

     Bernie Madoff is a smart guy - you have to be to con so many people out of their life savings. Hitler was a gifted orator - he conned the citizens of one of the most civilized, sophisticated countries in the world to behave like barbarians. A certain kind of intelligence goes into creating counterfeit drugs, land mines, biological weapons, etc. A health-care administrator can be a brilliant accountant and at the same time wreak havoc in a hospital. A health-care professional can be brilliant, and at the same time be clueless about therapeutic alliances. How many times have we seen smart people behaving unwisely?
     We clearly possess different types of intelligences, and we each have varying levels of each type. However, above and beyond these more or less IQ-related capacities, there's wisdom. Philosophy, psychology and other disciplines are formally studying wisdom with renewed interest.
     We're slowly starting to realize that explicit training in, AND embodiment of wisdom is essential if our complex, rapidly changing, multi-racial, multi-cultural world is to survive, and perhaps flourish.
     Selection criteria for all responsible positions must start prioritizing wisdom.

       Sternberg RJ. Assessing students for medical school admissions: is it time for a new approach? Acad Med 2008; 83(10 Suppl): S105-10.

Photo: Rami Alkhoury   www.dpreview.com