We live in an age where knowledge is growing at an unprecedented rate. Advances in artificial intelligence, such as the new Chinese AI program, DeepSeek, illustrate the rapid expansion of technical knowledge. Information is abundant, readily accessible at the touch of a screen. Yet, for all our progress in knowledge, true wisdom remains elusive. We are not lacking in information but in discernment, understanding, and the ability to apply knowledge rightly. Too often, we see decisions driven by ignorance, impulsivity, and short-sightedness rather than the prudence and rationality that wisdom bestows.

A wise person discovers, sooner or later, that life is a mixture of good days and bad, victory and defeat, give and take. It is in these moments of struggle that wisdom takes root.

A wise person learns that it does not pay to be too sensitive. It is better to let some things go over your head like water off a duck’s back. Harboring grudges only weighs you down. 

A wise person learns that one who loses one’s temper usually loses. It often means losing more than just peace—it can cost relationships, opportunities, and even one’s own dignity.

A wise person learns that everyone has burnt toast for breakfast every now and then, and that one should not take the other fellow’s grouching too seriously. 

A wise person learns that carrying a chip on one’s shoulder is the easiest was to get into a fight. Get over it.

A wise person learns that the  quickest way to become unpopular is to gossip about others.

A wise person learns that people are only human and that it does not do any harm to smile, to say hello, or good morning even if is raining.

A wise person learns to sympathize with the young, remembering how bewildering it was at that age.

A wise person learns that no one ever got to first base alone, and it is only through cooperative effort that one moves on to better things.

A wise person learns that people are not any harder to get along with in one place rather than another, and that getting along with everyone is a rare gift.

For in the end, wisdom is not simply about knowing—it is about living rightly, humbly, and in alignment with the kingdom of God within us. 

—Fr. Hugh Duffy, Ph.D.