Line upon Line

Is there a shortcut to wisdom? In today’s world, we’re all about AI, Chat GPT, instant info from our apps, cooking faster in an air fryer, shortcuts, ordering take-out, multi-tasking, speeding down the freeway, texting– even abbreviating in our texts to make it that much faster.  After all, we need to shave time from this activity so we can get to the next one we want to shave time from.

We can condense and rush just about anything, right? Wrong. You cannot gain wisdom quickly. Even if you try to pay all your money for it, you won’t get it any faster.

Knowledge, yes. That can be gained as we’re taught and we learn. Knowledge is facts, skills, and information.  But wisdom involves personal experience, empathy, integrity, character, the learning of good judgment, and how we apply our knowledge. The philosopher, Kant, said, “Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.”

For example, you can take a parenting class, or read a book on the subject, and feel very well-informed. But until you actually experience parenting, you cannot know what it’s like to apply that knowledge in the real world.

Most of us have heard the phrase, “Knowledge is knowing that the tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”  A robot or a toddler might do it, but an adult should have the experience and judgment to see this exception.

No, you cannot rush experience, nor the judgment we learn from years of living. Many don’t realize that one of the essentials for acquiring wisdom is to serve other people. Elder Marvin J. Ashton once said, “One may have many talents and knowledge but never acquire wisdom because he does not learn to be compassionate with his fellow man. We will never approach godliness until we learn to love and lift. Indifference to others and their plight denies us life’s sweetest moments of joy and service.”

Yes, we can get knowledge from other people, but not their wisdom. Wisdom is harder won; you have to serve others to acquire it. And how fitting it is that our church is way at the high end of the curve on this.  Latter-day Saints have many built-in opportunities to serve—from callings, to ministering, to local projects, to providing worldwide aid. But it isn’t just to benefit those in need. It’s because we, too, gain from focusing outward—we gain wisdom!

Remember in Luke 2:52 where we’re told that Jesus “increased in wisdom and stature”? His wisdom wasn’t just knowledge. As we learn about others, we learn about ourselves, and we increase our reliance upon God. It makes us want to improve, to grow, to become more like Him. We learn to sacrifice, to put others first. We learn to be creative, to see how we can best help someone else.

I was thinking of so many scripture heroes whose wisdom came after sharp adversity—from Adam to Solomon to Christ’s apostles, and examples from the Book of Mormon:

Nephi, of course, whose brothers persecuted him relentlessly, eventually plotting to kill him! But each experience brought him greater wisdom.

After Alma converted, he and his followers had to run for their lives. Eventually captured by wicked Lamanites, they became slaves. But the Lord made their afflictions light: “Yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.” (Mosiah 24:15)

Mosiah’s sons repented, then endured many trials in their missionary work. But what resulted? When Alma met up with them much later, they had become “strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.” (Alma 17:2). They became wise!

In Mosiah 2:17, King Benjamin said, And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom. That ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

We could go on and on— and with modern leaders, too. Look at the strength, wisdom, and power of the pioneers, after crossing a nation on foot!  And Joseph Smith—a righteous man who was bound and imprisoned, yet met his challenges with unwavering faith and unwavering wisdom!

Remember his agony in Liberty Jail? The Lord told him, “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” (D&C 121:7–8).

Then in D&C 122:7 the Lord says, “All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.”

Do you have adversity in your life? Do you see others with seemingly perfect lives and wonder why you have such mountainous tribulations? Then the Book of Mormon is for you! Get an extra copy and mark just the examples of tribulation. Then the wisdom that followed. Now look at your own life, and see if you don’t have increased wisdom. You will! That copy of the Book of Mormon can be your key to staying faithful and turning to God whenever life gets hard.

No, there isn’t a shortcut to wisdom. As the philosopher, Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” How sad it would be to endure great suffering and not learn wisdom from it.

Ironically, I began this article talking about how we try to hurry through life, cutting corners and saving time. I did it to make the point that we cannot rush wisdom.  We have to slow down enough to acquire it, don’t we?  However, are we using our time to do that? Or do we procrastinate that growth, develop a snap temper, carelessness, a reflex to blame someone else when things go wrong? Do we live deliberately and thoughtfully, and with an eye on the lessons to be learned as we encounter problems?

Allow me to conclude with a quote by Gautama Buddha, who wisely said, “The trouble is you think you have time.”

Joni Hilton is an LDS author, Seminary teacher and shares life hacks at https://m.youtube.com/c/jonihilton. Her novel, Golden, is now an Amazon audiobook.