Wisdom

[Kings Gambit]

Wisdom:
"The soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment."

I was amused the other day reading a post from a member that ended with: "To misquote Doris Lessing: 'As you get older, you don't get wiser. You just get more irritable.'" So, wisdom does not advance with age? Stands to reason that folks active in boating gain in experience and knowledge with time, and perhaps develop good judgement in the application of that knowledge. Thus, becoming wiser. Certainly the medical profession believes it, otherwise why invent the internship program? Why must pilots log a certain number of training hours b/f earning the privilege of flying as Captain? What is the so-called "ticket" of charter captains based on? Even recreational sailors with 30-40 years of ACTIVE boat ownership surely have more experience at sea than some person looking for his/her first boat, or planning the first sea voyage. Shouldn't they should be regarded as wiser in such matters? Folks age over that 30-40 years, so certainly must be chronically older than at least some beginners.

What I see are people who think they know more about certain things than they actually do, and have more experience than they actually have, so conclude that they possess wisdom equivalent to the "old timers." Or insert what they see as reason and deduction to compensate. Especially if they do not like what they are hearing. This probably makes the old timers "irritable"

 

[jssailem]

An interesting opening to a possible discussion. But I am laughing so hard I am finding it difficult to type the keys.

I suspect that when you think you know what you believe to be true, young or old becomes irritable when others object to your beliefs.

I feel with age comes a sense of perspective, not to be confused with wisdom.

 

[SFS]

Well said, KG. Two of my favorites, which both give a nod to the notion of time spent on the planet, are:

"Wisdom is the comb that life gives you after you've lost all your hair."

“Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.” Terry Pratchett

 

[srimes]

Wisdom:
"The soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment."

I was amused the other day reading a post from a member to that ended with: "To misquote Doris Lessing: 'As you get older, you don't get wiser. You just get more irritable.' So, wisdom does not advance with age? Stands to reason that folks active in boating gain in experience and knowledge with time, and perhaps develop good judgement in the application of that knowledge. Thus, becoming wiser. Certainly the medical profession believes it, otherwise why invent the internship program? Why must pilots log a certain number of training hours b/f earning the privilege of flying as Captain? What is the so-called "ticket" of charter captains based on? Even recreational sailors with 30-40 years of ACTIVE boat ownership surely have more experience at sea than some person looking for his/her first boat, or planning the first sea voyage. Shouldn't they should be regarded as wiser in such matters? Folks age over that 30-40 years, so are certainly must be chronically older than at least some beginners.

What I see are people who think they know more about certain things than they actually do, and have more experience than they actually have, so conclude that they possess wisdom equivalent to the "old timers." Or insert what they see as reason and deduction to compensate. Especially if they do not like what there are hearing. This probably makes the old timers "irritable"

Son, you've got it figured out

 

[Calif. Ted]

We used to call it the difference between a guy with 10 years experience OTJ versus one with 1 years experience 10 times. The one building his skills while the other never progresses beyond merely adequate performance.

 

[Stu Jackson]

"To misquote Doris Lessing: 'As you get older, you don't get wiser. You just get more irritable.'

Maybe just CRANKY.
Not everyone can write well, so questions sometimes can be misleading, at best.
In "ye olden days" there simply wasn't the wealth of information available, in this case, about boating and boat systems, that there is today on the internet. Many of us old geezers grew up having to actually find and read BOOKS. Imagine that!
Now we have tremendous resources like Maine Sail and others of us who have assembled helpful links to recurring topics.
Now, we get questions like "What's the best way to wire a boat?" or like yesterday's goody: "What is this thing?" Hint: a water heater on a boat.
Many of us old geezers grew up with small "starter boats" and learned about not only sailing, but boat SYSTEMS as we purchased ever larger and more complicated vessels. Nowadays new-to-boating people buy 34 foot boats and ask what a water heater is.
I "grew up" and learned by reading the West Marine catalogs and their excellent "Advisor" articles. (Most of them are still available on the WM website, although Chuck Hawley's original content seems to have been diminished, rather than improved, by WM itself.) I learned that what I could buy for my boat was determined by what is available on the marketplace.
It's no different than what is true if you or your wife is remodeling your kitchen, but this basic concept seems to be beyond many folks who post questions on the multiple boating forums I read on a daily basis.
My favorite ones are the "What's the best...?" type. Anchors are another usual "favorite" topic.
Searching, now made easy by the internet (with internet-wide Google or DuckDuckGo, or on individual website searches), may be beyond some folks when they are looking for information. Or maybe I'm wrong and lots of folks do that and learn and don't bother asking because they HAVE found the answer, so only those who don't search ask.

OK, then the answer to KG's question is exactly what my reply has consisted of: CRANKY!!!

See? Not so hard, was it?

 

[Richard19068]

Wisdom:
"The soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment."

,,," So, wisdom does not advance with age?

Not necessarily. Someone could have years of experience and gained much knowledge but may still not have the good judgement to properly use or apply that experience and knowledge. They are not wise.

 

[SFS]

Not necessarily. Someone could have years of experience and gained much knowledge but may still not have the good judgement to properly use or apply that experience and knowledge. They are not wise.

I know more than a few captains (nautical and aeronautical) that fit this description. For some of them, I wonder how they have managed to stay uninjured.

 

[rgranger]

“Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.” Terry Pratchett

I like that one... I also like this one

 

[Mr. Dave]

"Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth..."

Frank Zappa

 

[Kings Gambit]

"Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth..."

Frank Zappa

Yeah. Just remember to whom he was selling his records. The ‘60’s and ‘70’s hippies who now, collectively, are running the country. What was it he, JB, said? “We choose truth over facts.” A 100% buy in?

 

[shemandr]

"Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth..."
Frank Zappa

I really have no idea what that means. But I liked FZ.

 

[Kings Gambit]

I really have no idea what that means. But I liked FZ.

One probably has to be stoned to make sense out of it. "Yeah man!"

 

[Mr. Dave]

You're drifting pretty far off topic here, King, but he was pretty outspokenly against drug use.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Yeah. Just remember to whom he was selling his records. The ‘60’s and ‘70’s hippies who now, collectively, are running the country. What was it he, JB, said? “We choose truth over facts.” A 100% buy in?

Except the guys "...who now, collectively, are running the country..." are exactly the opposite. They are the same type of goons who suppressed any dissent, like Nixon's "law abiding" gang of thieves and henchmen. Just check the number of indictments & convictions...lovely group of coconuts, weren't they? Frank was right to call them out.