Knowledge and Wisdom only have two things in common, both requirea brain and are very hard to obtain. Although knowledge and wisdom seemalike, and are often used interchangeably, they are really very different. When a knowledgeable person enters a room, she tries not to makeherself too noticed, although she does want everyone to acknowledge thatshe is there. A knowledgeable person knows things like times and dates, andjust what should happen at this time and who should be where at that time.
A knowledgeable student dresses to suit the ‘norm’ of her surroundings andmakes an attempt to fit in as best as possible by dressing in a fashionthat is accepted by everyone. A wise person dresses in a fashion that suitsthem, as long as they are comfortable, not worrying what everyone elsethinks or believes to be the “norm.” Upon entering a room, a wise personcasually greets their friends, engages in a little conversation and thencontinues on with their business, knowing that it is important to letpeople know that you enjoy talking with them. A wise person knows thingssuch as the importance of dates and times and why things should happen.
When entering a classroom, a knowledgeable student always goesdirectly to her seat and promptly takes out the previous night’s lessons sothat she might review it once more before the start of class. Aknowledgeable student knows things such as the multiplication tables allthe way up to twenty, how to diagram every sentence that she hears, and the Chinese alphabet.
A wise student enters a room and jokes with herclassmates before settling in their desk to take out her books, knowingthat the time you share with your friends is just as important as the timeyou use completing your lessons. A wise student comes to class knowing howto use the multiplication tables in daily life, and why it is so importantto know how to diagram sentences, and how to use the Chinese alphabet.
Knowledgeable people spend most of their time planning out exactlywhen something should happen and just how long it has to take. And afterthey have completed the task of planning they spend the rest of their timeaccomplishing the tasks on their list; the only thought in their minds isthat everything at one time or another has to be completed.
Neverthelesswise people are aware of the fact that you can only plan so much and therest should be done when time allows. They know that it is impossible toplan every moment that one is awake, and that this is an ineffective way tolive one’s life, if everything is done in a hurry, the tasks at hand willbe complete, but the work done will never be completely satisfying. Noteverything can be done in the time allotted; you must use your time forbusiness as well as pleasure.
In summary, knowledgeable people and wise people may have the sameamount of intelligence and may be equally smart, but there is still a hugedifference between the two. Knowledgeable people know more often when andwhere, but wise people know more of the reasons, how something happened andwhy it is significant. For example, in the case of a personal tragedy, aknowledgeable person would know what was supposed to be said and when, buta wise person would know what needed to be said and how, already knowingthe why.
The telling difference between wisdom and knowledge is what happenswithin the brain. Knowledge is only information that I retained andrecalled from one’s mind. In comparison, wisdom is the ability of one’smind to apply knowledge to life’s experiences and derive the best decisionsfor perceived circumstances and environments.
