wisdom,humor and faith - 19596 Words

WISDOM, HUMOR, AND FAITH: A HISTORICAL VIEW Walter G. Moss Table of Contents (with links) Walter G. Moss 1 Table of Contents (with links) 1 Wisdom, Perspective, and Values 2 Humor’s Contribution to Wisdom 4 Humor and Wisdom in Europe: Some Highlights 5 Renaissance Humor: Erasmus, Rabelais, Cervantes, Shakespeare 5 Two European Russians: Anton Chekhov and Vladimir Soloviev 9 Reflections on Humor from Nietzsche to the Theatre of the Absurd 12 Humor and Wisdom in the United States: Lincoln, Beecher, Twain, Sandburg, and Buchwald 17 From The Times (of London) obituary on him (January 19, 2007) that mentioned his â€Å"wit and wisdom† in its title, available at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1294342.ece. 24†¦show more content†¦. . . The inner directedness that Maslow noted is a key feature of wisdom. It arises, in part, from acquiring new, more helpful perspectives.†2 Wise perspectives are dependent on wise values. As Macdonald has written, â€Å"Wise values express themselves in wise attitudes and wise ways of being and functioning.† Among the wise values he mentions that relate to perspective are creativity, serenity, humility, clarity about what is, empathy, insight, intuitive understanding, patience, reality, self-awareness, and truth.3 Another prominent wisdom researcher, Robert Sternberg, believes that â€Å"people are wise to the extent that they use their intelligence to seek a common good. They do so by balancing, in their courses of action, their own interests with those of others and those of larger entities, like their school, their community, their country, even God.† In fostering wisdom, Sternberg also thinks it is important to teach people to see â€Å"things from others’ perspectives as well as one’s own,† to tolerate â€Å"other people’s points of view, whether or not one agrees with such views.† He refers to this approach as his â€Å"balance theory of wisdom.† He also believes that many â€Å"smart and well-educated people† lack wisdom because they â€Å"are particularly susceptible to four fallacies,† which he labels the egocentrism, omniscience, omnipotence, and invulnerability fallacies. All four are tied up with too big an ego and with overestimating their own importance and powers.4Show MoreRelatedI consider Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 to be one of the most700 Words   |  3 Pagescontinue to mature in life. He encourages students to pursue their dreams and not be discouraged by failures they might experience in life. Jobs starts his speech with humor. He said, â€Å"I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest Ive ever gotten to a college graduation,† this statement instantly added an element of humor to his speech and this was well observed by the audience. The opening statements of the speech automatically lightened the mood. Steve jobs’ introduction appealsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Hound Of Heaven 1167 Words   |  5 PagesI ascribe to the sentiment of Jonah. I supplicate to God to elect someone else. I rationalized I could consign to oblivion this invitation. I would just persevere in my path and he would forget about me. Considerably, God has a droll sense of humor. I would circumnavigate back to the same crossroads again and again and again. I reminded of the Francis Thompson’s fateful poem of The Hound of Heaven where the Lord never ceases in His hunt for him. The last parry commenced when on the televisionRead MoreSummary Of Morrie s Greatest Quality943 Words   |  4 Pagesfriends throughout his life. His final desire to perpetuate the acts of his life by having a book written demonstrate his willingness to continue giving and reiterate the success of his life’s review. Even though wisdom is difficult to define, most people have general idea of what wisdom entails (Hooyman, N.R. Kiyak, H. A.,2011). Morrie Schwartz was a wise individual. Throughout his conversations with Mitch Albom, he never actually tells him things directly instead guides him with his talks of pastRead MoreModern Codes of Chivalry831 Words   |  4 Pagesopen minded to other cultures and practices. â€Å"Dignity, a gracious manner, and a good humor are much to be admired.† This code reminded the knights that they should present themselves well so that others will respect them. Nowadays, if a person has a good head on their shoulders, has manors and has a good sense of humor and others will like them. â€Å"As a Knight, thou haste power, and thy powers wax strongly as wisdom increases. Therefore exercise discretion in the use thereof.† This code is translatedRead More Books Will Never be Replaced Essay examples1692 Words   |  7 Pagesthe tangible reincarnation of an author that allows us to believe it will continue to be revered and regarded even in our age of computerized information? How can we be sure that, just as the clay tablet gave way to the scroll and bound book, the faith we have placed in paper editions will not be improved upon with the microchip? It may be that for all our attempts to squeeze and shrink information into screens, to encapsulate a world of knowledge into the size of a suitcase, to create a communicationsRead MoreMonkey Is A Classic 18th Century Chinese Folk Tale1237 Words   |  5 Pagesnovel Monkey as archaic misfit for a screenplay, these romantic critics are often too dogmatic in their provincial ideologies. Several themes are evident throughout the course of this novel, especially the power of grit and tenacity, perseverance, and faith, that define the novel in its pervading thirst for optimism. The vivid imagery used to display the intricate and detail oriented journey makes the novel Monkey, more alluring and captivating as an adventure story too. These qualities make the novelRead MorePerennial Wisdom Healing Grace For Personal And Planetary Evolution1500 Words   |  6 PagesShamanism Today: Perennial Wisdom Healing Grace for Personal Planetary Evolution. By Oscar Miro-Quesada, M.A., Psy. ET. Today’s shaman leaves new footprints on paths of psychic awareness and spiritual wisdom that are over thirty thousand years old. Shamanism is a millennial tradition of healing, power and wisdom that sees all of life as interconnected and sacred. Material and spiritual worlds interpenetrate one another, and the shaman’s path lies in attaining a life of harmony with both.Read MoreThe Decay Of The Human Mentality837 Words   |  4 Pageswith the degraded present; it is, rather, a timeless simultaneous awareness of moral grandeur and moral evil† (Davies). He uses the period after World War I as the setting for this poem in order to portray the need for even the slightest amount of faith or hope for redemption, â€Å"The Waste Land expresses with great power the disenchantment, disillusionment, and disgust of the period after World War I. In a series of vignettes, loosely linked by the legend of the search for the Grail, it portrays a sterileRead MoreMaya Angelou994 Words   |  4 Pages She rose up in the face of adversary and succeeded in making a life for herself. Her numerous accomplishments testify to this fact. She did not come from a promising background, but she defied all the odds. During her childhood, she absorbed the faith and values of a traditional African American family such as love and respect for one another. She refused to back down from a challenge. She provides an excellent example of a strong, confident African American woman. She is not ashamed of where sheRead MoreSchool To Complete Before My Dream Came True, I Also Realized1703 Words   |  7 Pagesdidn t shake my father s faith. As we were participating in an old Polish custom, the blessing of the Easter baskets on Holy Saturday, my father carried our basket of food into the church hall like Rockefeller himself. As we left the hall following the ceremony, my father, aware of my concern over his new dilemma, put his hand on my shoulder, smiled, and said, Don t worry, Peter, this too will pass. I never had much faith in things political, but I had enormous faith in my father. As I left Wilkes-Barre