sword of wisdom, page-29

" Oh you are SO SO wrong 3gb, there is a group that is very interested in fostering wisdom, but we do not assemble, believing only in things that are supported by evidence "


I have been thinking of the evidence you require.

Would it be fair enough that instances of people lacking wisdom are probably due to a number of different causes?

1. A loss of self control. This could be caused by alcohol, drugs, mental illness, strong emotions or impulsiveness.

2. Egotism or pride. Vanity, arrogance.

3. A lack of perception.

4. A lack of knowledge or understanding.

Thats all I can think of right now, people are welcome to contribute ideas.

So we need evidence that one or more systems of wisdom reduces these causes of folly.
Know thy self, the instruction means learn what influences you and if the effect is negative avoid, if positive encourage. A person who knows themselves wouldnt take drugs or alcohol, wouldnt have strong emotions and wouldnt be impulsive. They would practise techniques to strengthen there spirit and mind so they werent vulnerable to mental weaknesses like these.
Fear God, there are rules to obey to please God. No drugs or alcohol, no anger. Prayer, and abstaining from sin strengthens the spirit/mind.
I am not sure how Debono would approach the problem but I assume he would study the information available. Possibly he would look at people who have a problem with self control and identify commonalities and look at people with self control and see what they have in common. I am sure psychologists have studied this question and have conclusions.

Know thy self people will know egotism is a cause of problems and will take steps to avoid pride and arrogance. It is a self control problem and so is prevented by those techniques.
Humility is a significant component to fear God. It is the corner stone of worship, God comes before the self.
Debono had various approaches to keeping things real, I cant remember them in any detail probably similar to those he used for increasing perception.

A lack of perception. The know thy selfers would understand what impacts there ability to perceive they have self control so there minds are strong and function well. There perception isnt clouded by emotion or self interest.
The God fearers are similar, they have heightened perception because there minds are pure
Debono has various approaches and mental concepts/tools for increasing perception for problem solving or decision making.

Knowledge and understanding are from learning and awareness. Intuition is also a source of knowledge and wisdom. A mind that is pure ie not emotional, egotistical, or tense is going to be perceptive to knowledge and understanding. These are the types of mind the know thy self and God fearers cultivate. Prayer, meditation and other techniques are physiologically improving the mind/spirit.
Debono probably had ideas for developing knowledge or acquiring it.


I think the evidence is there that there is merit in fearing God and knowing thy self, problems are likely to be in the application rather than fundamental principals. Certainly the men of learning in the days the theories were established believed in them. Human behaviour and failings have not changed significantly in the last few thousand years. There will be plenty of information from modern sources in how to develop self control, reduce pride, and think better with improved perception.

We have dietary recommendations and exercise recommendations to follow to give us optimum physical health. We know we have to avoid poor food choices and eating excessively to avoid health problems in the future. Similarly we understand the importance of keeping active. So isnt it a good idea we have recommendations to follow to maintain our mental health and mental function?