Saturday, November 20, 2021 (Day 323)
Relaxing Music for the week: The Wisdom of Kindness: Liquid Mind (10:34) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2SX_skp9ZU
Question: How do you define wisdom? Where do you look for wisdom in your own life?
Answer: I’ll use the definition of “wisdom” from my Value Tags activity:
“To be aware of one’s self, personal calling, and life purpose. To have knowledge and insight of one’s values in order to make good judgments. To have the intuition to use common sense and good judgment in decisions and actions. To understand the importance of making wise choices. To have a desire to understand life.”
Although it’s not my favorite definition on wisdom, it’s been one that’s a great starting point for me, since it’s focused on purpose and values. Wisdom for me is understanding and committing to your purpose, having the insight to make decisions and take actions on that are aligned with your purpose. That is, if you believe that purpose is about becoming the best version of yourself in service to something bigger than yourself. And my goal is to help people, mostly students, define and/or explore wisdom in their own lives. I think one of the most distinctive features of wisdom is not only having the knowledge about purpose and meaning, but applying the practice of purpose and meaning to one’s life. Are you applying you own principles around wisdom in your own life?
Other Stuff
I thought I would share a couple of interesting articles where I believe wisdom is front and center in the changes going on in higher education today. The two articles I’m sharing center around the “Great Resignation” in higher education. First, check out the two articles:
- The Great Disillusionment – https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-great-disillusionment
- Higher Ed, We’ve Got a Morale Problem, And a Free T-Shirt Won’t Fix It – https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-09-27-higher-ed-we-ve-got-a-morale-problem-and-a-free-t-shirt-won-t-fix-it
As I think about my own institution (UNCG), I can see why there’s a number of really good people leaving: (1) overburdened with work, (2) doing work that’s not meaningful and/or engaging, and (3) lack of appreciation/don’t feel valued (staff). I’m sure there are other reasons as well, but I think about my situation – and for me, it’s definitely a lack of appreciation/don’t feel valued. It’s a shame when you feel like they’d rather see you gone than to stay. And the t-shirt metaphor is funny, because just got a long-sleeve t-shirt and I can honestly say that it did nothing for me, least of all to entice me to stay. Here’s for developing and creating the next chapter in my life!
The Dream Dean 