TO BE SMART VS. TO BE WISE / THE MOST DANGEROUS WAYS TO SCHOOL

There is a difference between being smart and being wise. But it is not that simple to define exactly what that difference is. I think one thing is that smartness can be acquired and increased through learning, but wisdom is not found in books. As Silo, the Master, said in his first public speech, 'wisdom lies within human consciousness.' More precisely, he says: '...true wisdom can be passed on neither through books nor through speeches. True wisdom lies deep within your consciousness, just as true love is found deep within your heart.' And everyone has access to this. For free. 😊

But access to education, for instance, is not available to everyone, and certainly not for free. I once watched a series on YouTube showing how children in different countries around the world get to elementary school. And every single one of them was an incredible struggle. They had to battle the elements. Overcoming water, snow, cold, and loneliness just to get to school in the mornings from remote areas, sometimes setting off in the dark before dawn, and then to make it back home, or to return to their parents at the end of the school year.

In many places, basic education is free and compulsory. However, beyond that, in many places you have to pay and the costs associated with education are so high that families can no longer afford them. It also happens—unfortunately, and I stress this very much and find it unacceptable—that children cannot be sent to school because they have to work so that the family can somehow survive. 

This is unacceptable, outrageous, and it breaks my heart to think about children waking up at dawn to go to a quarry or to the fields to work in terrible heat or cold, hunching over all day; very young children who have only just learned to talk. My God, why is this still allowed to happen in the world?????? Young children need care, love, and protection, and the opportunity to learn and grow healthily, both physically and mentally.              

                   

It is a huge loss if those who wish to pursue further studies are unable to do so. It is a loss for the person experiencing it (being deprived of the joy of learning), for the family, and for society, which loses with every single person who is not allowed to study. How wonderful it would be to have a world where those who want to learn could study, accumulate as much knowledge as they want, and use it for something good.

I think wise people are not concerned with money or the idea of 'utility'; they are connected to something else. And this allows something to constantly grow and be present around them. It manifests in the way they live and how they connect with other people. People love to be in the same place as them, to be near them, even when they are not talking. In my opinion, wise people do not cling to things because they are aware of the changing and transient nature of everything. They are much more concerned with creating something and somehow contributing to the well-being of others, but without depending on these things. I find this very appealing, by the way. This kind of freedom 😊 and goodness 😊

I also believe that wise people are very peaceful, cheerful, and have a 'big heart.' There is a quiet peace, joy, and a kind of humility in them.

Anyway, I think neither consciousness nor the heart is that easy to access. Perhaps that is why there aren't that many wise people 😊 I cannot decide, by the way, whether it is harder to access consciousness, the heart, or free and high-quality education these days. And I am not joking.