Gary Boelhower - The Possibility of Practical Wisdom

This interesting article was posted at The Global Spiral's Metanexus Magazine. It's an exploration of possible sources for an interdisciplinary model to cultivate discernment and wisdom.

The Possibility of Practical Wisdom: An Interdisciplinary Model for Discernment

By Gary Boelhower

Wisdom is not an abstraction. It isn’t a static state of peace, beauty, or justice. Although a wealth of philosophical treatises and literary reflections have articulated visions of existence lived wisely, finally, wisdom is about making choices in the concrete circumstances of life. The immense issues that face the human community can only be solved through individual and communal decisions that address the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the irresponsible pillaging of the planetary organism upon which the life of the human species depends, the significant population increases among the poorest communities on the earth, and the need for imaginative visions of how the human community might live together in a world that is safe from tyranny and terrorism. In the process of decision-making, wise leaders are conscious and intentional about living their values and priorities, putting their faith into practice, while integrating the mission and vision of an organization into the issues of daily commerce. In the heat of discernment, one faces the enfleshment of one’s character as an individual and as a corporate body. Leaders face their own integrity, determining what actions or judgments are congruent with their identity and vision of the world. This process of discerning wisdom is equally important for individuals and organizations of all kinds: corporate leaders, parents, civil servants, community volunteers, families, unions, NGOs, and multinational corporations.

The quest for wisdom requires two key dimensions: a process for wise decision-making and a set of criteria upon which to base judgments. The process defines important steps for consideration or discernment. Who should be involved in decision-making? What kinds of questions need to be asked? How shall these questions be considered? The set of criteria provide the foundation for making judgments, the standards against which the various options will be compared. This paper will propose a set of operating principles to guide the process of decision-making and a set of criteria by which to test the options or alternatives in the decision-making process. Both the process and the criteria will be based on core themes found across the Jewish wisdom tradition, the Christian scriptures and the Rule of Saint Benedict.

The Jewish wisdom tradition refers to Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach and Wisdom of Solomon and pieces of text in Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Jonah, Song of Solomon and Psalms. Although there is a good deal of discussion about the meaning and context of particular texts, there is significant agreement among scriptural scholars about common themes in Jewish wisdom literature which provide the basis for my application of this tradition to the decision-making process. Similarly, the focus is on a few central dimensions of the Christian scriptures as the ground for wise decision making, key themes that are ubiquitous across the Pauline corpus and the synoptic gospels. Finally, the Rule of St. Benedict has been the guiding force for monastic communities as well as for countless lay persons since its writing in the sixth century. Benedict’s purpose was to write a practical, house rule for his extended family as they attempted to live a life based on the gospel.

The operating principles for decision-making will be informed by the contemporary theory and practice of dialogue, especially as they have been articulated by the Nobel-winning physicist David Bohm and his collaborator William Isaacs of the MIT Sloan School of Management, and by the reflection and formation processes used so effectively by Parker Palmer in his programs and writings on the courage to teach and lead.

Admittedly, this process and set of criteria for wise decision-making will be grounded in the Western philosophical and theological tradition. However, the process will be open to and will intentionally invite the perspectives of other traditions, so that a self-transforming process for discernment is envisioned.

The following core themes that permeate the Jewish wisdom tradition, the Christian scriptures and the Rule of Saint Benedict will be explored: 1. valuation of the diversity of voices, especially the perspectives of the marginalized and disenfranchised; 2. integration of the whole person—body, mind, soul and spirit; 3. realization that truth is embedded in common human experience; 4. appreciation of the interdependence of all reality; and 5. the necessity for preservation and transformation. From each of these core themes, operating principles for going about the decision-making process will be identified and criteria for judgment will be articulated.

It should be noted at the outset of this paper that the author does not intend the described wise decision-making process or set of criteria to be exhaustive or limiting. The set of core themes identified here are central but certainly not the only scriptural or Benedictine themes that might be applied helpfully to a particular situation of decision making. It is the author’s hope that the operating principles and criteria here articulated will be an effective starting point for discernment that might well open out into further considerations that integrate spiritual traditions into the everyday ethical decisions. What is discernment? On the individual or personal level, discernment refers to how a person judges among competing possibilities or ways of thinking and acting. On the communal level, discernment refers to how a group weighs options, searches for truth and makes decisions together. In spiritual language, discernment is attempting to hear the creative, transformative call of God luring us into the best possible future. Discernment connotes a way of attempting to know and follow God’s will through a discipline that involves deep listening and prayerful consideration to each other and to God. The aim of this paper is to articulate a way of searching together for truth, moving forward together in a respectful process that welcomes and engages three spiritual wisdom traditions.

Two important introductory remarks are in order as this exploration into the practical wisdom of decision-making gets underway. These remarks come from the realization that individuals are often criticized for making decisions too hurriedly or for taking too much time to come to a conclusion. For the first remark, I rely on the insight of Rainer Maria Rilke in his Letters to a Young Poet:

I would like to beg of you, dear friend, as well as I can, to have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day (Rilke, 2000).

This attitude of living in the question seems contrary to the sense of urgency that is often experienced when persons are faced with critical issues that need to be decided. But time and again, maturity requires living in the tension between polarities, embracing the paradox, rather than running full speed ahead in one direction. Certainly the context for Rilke’s advice is quite different from a discussion of discernment. Yet, Rilke’s words point to a kind of respect for the questions themselves. It is not only patience that he espouses here but also an attitude of acceptance and valuation regarding the questions. Rilke’s perspective applies to the context of discernment. Participants in a wise discernment process must respect the questions and be willing to live with them. Even within the context of urgency, they must be able to create an open space where they can truly consider, converse and reflect.

The second introductory remark is to acknowledge that it is right and proper for individuals to choose to act without waiting for an incontrovertible answer. In fact, there may not be an uncontestable resolution to many of the key questions that face us. On the one hand, the pressure to decide and act quickly should not prevent a regular practice of discerning more deeply and broadly. On the other hand, the lack of a conclusive answer should not prevent persons from acting, from making the best moral judgment possible with the given information after wise consideration. Decision and action must be based on the individual’s or group’s web of experience, the interwoven strands of human influence that affect each person’s way of seeing the world. As long as that web of experience is being continually expanded by analyzing data, clarifying principles, listening to experts and authorities, stretching one’s vision beyond its present scope, and living with integrity based on one’s present world view, the decisions will stand the test of conscience. Expanding the web of experience requires searching beyond one culture, beyond one discipline of expertise, and beyond the present time. With this broadening of the web of experience, persons inform their consciences as they seek coherence among the considerations in the search for truth and make decisions with forethought and good will. It is important to acknowledge that action itself entails a way of knowing. Often, in the process of acting, knowledge is expanded. This articulation of a process for wise decision-making and criteria for wise judgment is best approached with this attitude that loves the questions and values the balance between reflection and action.

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Tags: Gary Boelhower, The Possibility of Practical Wisdom, The Global Spiral, Metanexus Magazine, Interdisciplinary Model, Discernment, Philosophy, Psychology, literature, Religion, wisdom