Discernment

Meaning of Discernment n.

1. The act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment.
2. Keenness of insight and judgment.

The definition of what true wisdom is differs from person to person. For some, the ability to earn large amounts of money represents great wisdom, while others find having an impressive intellectual capacity to be their raison d'etre (French for "reason to exist"). There are as many experts as there are schools of thought. From de Bono's theories on developing creativity to the Bobbi DePorter on Quantum Learning, it sometimes seems as if the obsession with mental development and the gurus' methods has reached a fever pitch.Yet long before such systematic theories about enhancing mental development, our forefathers have made observations about some of the most basic ideas of wisdom and practical knowledge. William Wordsworth points out how simple wisdom really is when he says, "Wisdom is oftimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar.' Not surprisingly, we can find many gems of practical everyday wisom from Aesop's stories. For Aesop, practical mental ability can be summarised under several themes. The first of these is Accurate Observation and Understanding. Ever so often, we can be distracted from the main point being put across. This most basic of requirements for good decision-making is so fundamental that we often ignore it. Some have observed that simply looking deeply at a problem will yield the solution. The sencond point that we can garner from Aesop is not to be so distracted by the means that we forget the original purpose. This occurs quite often when we live and work in the kind of massive organisations that characterise most modern cities. IF everyone in an organisation can maintain their focus on the ultimate goal, and clearly understand how they contribute to this end, much wastage and redundancy can be avoided. Our past experience is our best teacher. However, many people are so set in their ways that the usual adage of 'once bitten, twice shy' does not hold true for them. Our experience gives us the best reinforcement, positively for the right approach and negatively for the wrong approach. Lastly, Sun Tze has said that success is ensured for one who 'understands oneself and knows the enemy very well'. It is necessary to know yourself, your skills and abilities as well as the demands of the task at hand to judge whether the solutions are feasible.