"Is age a prerequisite for wisdom, though? We all know a few elderly people who lack wisdom, while we may know few young people that have wisdom in spades. People certainly aren't always at peak brainpower in old age; after all, when wrinkles begin appearing on the face, it usually means that wrinkles have started disappearing on the brain. The brain shrinks slightly with age, and aging leads to a normal decline in cognitive function that may eventually bloom into dementias such as Alzheimer's disease".

People grapple with the balance between their personal sense of integrity and defeat in the face of death and physical disintegration. If integrity wins out, then the result, according to Erikson, is wisdom.

I sit with three seventy y/o on Saturday arvos at the betting facility at a local club. They are clever, and conservative with their betting. I study for long shots and bet a bit more recklessly. Generally we leave with the same amount of money - none.
People ask me if I am winning because I get their advice. They are regarded as wise men because they are experienced.
I gain from the glimpses of wisdom they show in attitudes and behaviour / reactions.

only if you learn from life and your own mistakes but if you're blinkered then not much gets through.

I think wisdom whatever it is has very little to do with age if at all. Indeed Age = More experience. But gaining more experience does not mean gaining wisdom.

@silkweaver experience in handling people say as skipper or in work team is understanding human nature so knowing how far to go with what before situation gets out of hand is mixture of experience and wisdom.some subjects you know will lead to arguments in enclosed areas like religion can be avoided.Leadership is like wisdom or a good coach over time more situations diversity is dealt with perhaps to be like Solomon one sits in judgment for so long it is second nature to read body language intuitively come to wisest coarse of outcome?

Wisdom, if you think you have thats probably a good indication you should think again. I think!

a million dollar question einbar...

A million dollar question indeed... The master knows that the pupil doesn't always meditate out of devotion, but also because he's lazy. The pupil knows that the master doesn't always give directions for training, but also because he's lazy. Who's the wisest?

I came across this great quote, "life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel."

maybe that does not fit in well with the topic, but i think humour plays a large role in wisdom.

"Erik Erikson" you have to have some humour to live with a name like that. Wise very wise

I find that I'm less patient with fools than I used to be--is that wise? Probably not--it's just that when one is faced with less and less time to speak out, fools are a waste of time, hence my curmudgeonly attitude.

If one does not gain at least a modicum of wisdom during the passing of years, then what indeed is the point of life?

New thinking and innovation are, and always have been needed, but without the wisdom gained by past generations one would always remain stuck reinventing the wheel.

Nevertheless this is a great clip einbar and is a demonstration of your capacity for gaining wisdom

Hey papananook, don't feel guilty about that. Your words may sound a bit like a shiny right-foot-boot (H)arshness hitting soft tissue, but it's not like you invite people just to kick them out of the door again, is it? Evading isn't the same as ignoring. Or hurting. We all have to make choices in our life, we don't have time enough to spend it without thought. Living a fast life doesn't matter, because there will always be things and persons that interfere with or block our personal goals and some of them really are to be avoided if we want to pursue the things we consider important. To become a better person, you NEED to draw a line first.