WISDOM AND SPIRITUALITY

Wisdom is insight and knowledge about oneself and the world along with sound judgment in dealing with life's problems. Wisdom reflects an integration of values, feelings, thoughts, and actions. And because Wisdom is needed for matters that are uncertain, it also entails sensitivity to context, relativism, and paradox.

A new study from the University of California – San Diego claims that Spirituality — but not necessarily religiosity — is one of the pieces of Wisdom. The findings, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, revealed that Spirituality appears bidirectionally linked to one's Wisdom.

In our context of Wisdom, Spirituality is defined as the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul instead of material or physical things. Wisdom refers to one's ability to act and think based on various insights, personal experiences, understanding, knowledge,and well-grounded common sense.

Wisdom has been repeatedly shown to possess:

1. Emotional regulation

2. Self-reflection

3. Empathy and other pro-social behaviors

4. Ability to accept other perspectives

5. Social decision-making

6. Self-understanding

In the recently published study, UC San Diego researchers report that Spirituality was a seventh attribute of Wisdom. This study wasn't the first time Spirituality has been explored as a potential sign of Wisdom. Numbers of previous articles and books have supported this claim.

Now, as part of our Wisdom work with clients, we've integrated Spirituality into the process to enhance Wisdom.

The UC San Diego study involved data of more than 1,700 people ages 20 to 82 who lived in the U.S. and completed the original San Diego Wellness Scale. Likewise, the participants were evaluated in other ways for everything from experiences of loneliness and happiness to how strong their social network was and their state of Spirituality.

When it came to a participant's overall Wisdom score, the researchers found that Spirituality was an essential ingredient of Wisdom. Therefore, the seventh attribute of Wisdom now includes Spirituality in our work.

1. Emotional regulation

2. Self-reflection3. Empathy and other pro-social behaviors

4. Ability to accept other perspectives

5. Social decision-making

6. Self-trust

7. Spirituality

The study's author, Dilip V. Jeste, MD, explained that Spirituality does not require religious faith but is characterized by humility and ever-present connectedness to oneself, others, and some transcendent entity, such as Mother Nature or God, or the soul.

Our work considers uncovering and accessing the soul given its non-denominational and inherently exists in every philosophical, poetic, and religious context. Furthermore, nearly everyone holds in their belief system the existence of a soul of some sort.

Spirituality helps directly reduce stress, allowing people to be more at peace, happier and healthier. In addition, findings from many different disciplines and philosophies show that feeling connected to something beyond your daily reality makes you feel less isolated, less alone, and more compassionate to yourself and others, which are characteristic of Wisdom.

THE SOUL

In many religious, philosophical, and mythologies, the soul is the incorporeal, intangible, and ethereal essence of a human being. Depending on the philosophical or religious system, a soul can either be mortal or immortal.

Given the values, characteristics and qualities of clients I have worked with and continue to work with, they have made it to the top of the leadership ladder by cultivating powerful intellects. They are brilliant. They are resilient. They are doggedly determined. They havepowerful egos. All qualities and characteristics that can be barriers to a spiritual awakening.

But like Judo, we use the opponent's force, their intellect, to open the door to Spirituality. In Zen Buddhism, they would call it the mind tricking the mind. Our methodologies to open the spiritual door are crafted from Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and Metaphysics delivered through a structured and guided self-inquiry that peels away layers until the soul is touched.

CAVEAT

With the Delta variant now gaining full strength and the Lambda virus from South America, supposedly more virulent and currently vaccine resistant, about to make its entrance into the U.S., Wisdom tells me and others the pandemic conditions will be long-term.

Therefore, given my age and consciousness about my health and mortality, all my work will be virtual. The Wisdom Weekend Experience is now Wisdom Online. A six-month program, two one-hour sessions per month at a tuition of $175 per participant.



Interested in Wisdom Online for yourself and your team, info@drmarcbcooper.com Given the times we are now living in, leadership could use a little wisdom.