Acquiring Wisdom

I was reading a blog from another site this morning and decided to make a comment about it. As I was writing I realized I had more to say than what might usually be in a comment and decided to post that comment along with a few additional thoughts. If you would like to read the other blog that triggered this one you can click on the link to mmrite's blog listed at the side of this page and then go to her other blog (The Way I See It) which is listed on the right hand side of that blog.
I have often been concerned recently with what seems like a great lack of wisdom on the part of our society. I hear people say things as if they are stating facts when they are actually just repeating someone else's opinion. We used to teach kids in school, that just because something was in writing did not make it a fact. Today, many people need to know that just because something is on the Internet does not make it a fact.
I have also always thought it was important to learn from our experiences; however, I don't see evidence of that happening in ways that are productive. It seems to me that in order to learn from our experiences and to acquire wisdom there must be two things present: First, there must be a willingness to reflect on what you have experienced. If you don't take the time to think over what has happened, there will be no learning. Second, I think you also have to step out of the emotions that are connected to the experience in order to learn from the experience in a wise way. If the emotion of that experience is the only thing driving what your thoughts, your learning will be limited and will probably not result in becoming wiser. For example, if I am with a group of people that I don't know and I feel uncomfortable and intimidated because no one is talking to me, I might decide to never go to another gathering unless I already know most of the people there. That response is tied directly to the unpleasant emotions associated with the experience. The focus of the reflection is only on yourself in order to never repeat that experience. If you change the focus from yourself, to a more analytical viewpoint, then you would look at all of the reasons the situation was uncomfortable and consider a variety of things you might do differently. For instance, you might reflect on what made you uncomfortable. Were you afraid someone would ask you a question you might not be able to answer? Or, were you afraid you wouldn't know what to say to someone if they did come over to meet you? If so, then you might think about strategies to try that will help you begin conversations rather than waiting for someone else to come to you. Is being with a group of new people something that you need to do because of your job or social commitments? Who do you know that might help you get acquainted with some of the people in the group. When you change the focus from self and your emotions, you broaden the possibilities for acquiring new skills or insights, and you become wiser in the process.