“La plus expresse marque de la sagesse, c'est une esjouissance constante”

Which translates roughly as “That which best denotes wisdom is constant enjoyment”?

I have long considered having the French phrase above tattooed somewhere on my body, as a reminder that life is a gift that can only be truly appreciated in all it’s facets when taken with wisdom, knowledge and the willingness to learn.

On the other hand, I am 25 years old now, hardly have my life in order, still a little damp behind my ears because I have no idea how to pick out a good towel. What claim have I got to wisdom? A favorite quote of mine denotes knowledge as knowing a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom as knowing not to use it in a fruit salad. Wisdom therefore knowing how to use the information stored in a brain.
Current philosophical theorizing gives wisdom as a more developed form of common sense, the ability to use available knowledge to come to good judgment.
Knowledge I possess, some useful, some less so, but what of wisdom then? Can I make a claim of being wise? As the song has it, I have studied the poets and the analysts, and searched through the occasional book on human behaviour (which I will remain spelling with that blasted “u” no matter what my spell-check has to say about it).
Yet I feel no closer to wisdom. Perhaps because of the reading and movies I have done and seen, in fact.

Literature and film give us a veritable deluge of characters and types who possess a wisdom given to them by learning, age and experience. Merlin and Viviane from Arthurian legend, The Dark Crystal’s Mystics and Audra, Christianities three wise men who understood to follow the star to Jesus’ birthplace, and a score of teachers, guides, sages and whatnot more. How can one not be daunted?

Especially in a time when showings of common sense seem few and far between, in global life as well as daily life. This statement is very hypocritical, and yet not so. If I myself do not always follow the dictions of common sense, can I expect others to do so in my stead? Perhaps not. In the same breath, if others do not follow the advisors on their shoulders well, can I be expected to do so?
Echoes of my mother swirl through my brain typing that, asking me if I would jump of a bridge if everybody else did, and my valiant denial of doing just that tries bravely to outdo their clamor.

I was planning on using a certain much maligned but re-chosen head of state as an example of the lack of common sense in the world. I will not, mostly because the man has had enough shit poured over him in the last few years, and because that horse is well and truly dead. But also because I myself live in a country almost famous for a certain type of government, that now seems unable to form any type of government. It used to be that elections were held occasionally, and that problems arising could be solved internally. The fall of a cabinet was a rare thing that would be met with derision and scorn.
But now, the last three cabinets have fallen. Where elections used to be held every four years, the first cabinet of our current interim minister lasted for all of 87 days.

Can we as a country not seem to be able to muster the information and experience needed to make a good decision? Apparently not.

And is this strange? A while ago I was with some friends in a bar. In this bar also was a table filled with late studenty type people. Some of these people decided to leave early, but paid for their drinks not with the waitress that had been serving them, but at a bar at the other side of the building. So obviously, when the waitress camee with the bill, the drinks of the early departees were still on it. And the stragglers refused to pay. And the waitress, with no real way to confirm the drinks paid for at the other bar were in fact the drinks that were now surplus on her accounts untill the registers were made up that evening, didn’t really want to take them of the receipt.

And this entire situation was easily avoidable had one, just, only, merely one of the people at the table rubbed two braincells together and tell their friends to just leave the money so the bill could be paid in full. Really, one just wants to start banging heads together, but one also fears it would do little damage.

And I myself am not always much better. Last Christmas Boyfriend and myself had what could be described as a “little spat”. I am a good deal more flirty and physical than he is with friends, and this makes him somewhat uncomfortable. Well, my side makes him uncomfortable, his side he is fine with.
This is known and understood, and yet the situation ended up with me kissing someone else right in front of him. In jest, and total jest, but still this is something I should have realized would upset him greatly, and I really should just have not done that. I didn’t realize, though, and I did. And it, predictably, did.
So why did it happen? I had the knowledge of his discomfort, but apparently not the wisdom to stop it from happening? Sure I thought it would not be a big deal, and for me, it really would not have been. But I should still have taken his feelings into account more, and not judge him as I judge myself. The knowledge was there, but using it effectively was far beyond me at that point.

There is even a high likelihood he will less than appreciate finding this little tidbit retold here, which goes to show even more that I should not make much claims to wisdom. On the other hand, we have weathered that particular storm without much damage to property, and are still going strong together, so perhaps I can break the occasional jug here.

Epicurus stated that the way to happiness in life was to create and maintain a state of sensory satisfaction. He did not, as is commonly misunderstood, advocate indulgence, he merely advised that to remain happy one should ensure that the senses are fulfilled and that this fulfillment can go on. By indulging one overfeeds, and thus creates dissatisfaction when the indulgence ends.
This to me seems a good way to handle things. And, given the title of this piece, a wise way. To ensure that you can fulfill your desires as and when they come up, but to not overly train them into inevitable dissatisfaction sounds to me like an enjoyable way of living.

And enjoyment, as said, is a good indicator of wisdom.

In the end, I don’t think I will ever feel any closer to wisdom than I feel right now. Wisdom is not a constant in anybodies life, it is something that comes and goes. Good decisions can be made by arguably less wise people, and the other way around can occur quite easily as well. All I can do and will try to do is to use what little knowledge I gain, and use it to the best of my abilities.

This does mean that it will for a while yet remain presumptuous of me to take the quote that started this all and use it as a tattoo. I am as yet unsure of what will replace it, as I do want to have another inking done, but hey, I am young still, this will come with time.

Until we are there, stripes at 01100: “Enjoy”,

Kevin