Which Would You Rather Have: Knowledge or Wisdom?

Just awhile back i was talking with mom about knowledge and wisdom. My mom is an English Literature teacher, so I couldn't argue more with her. The discussion that we had reminds me of my friend who once asked the same question before. and her question was: "If you could have an infinite amount of knowledge or wisdom- which would you choose?"

Here's our little chat:



[My not- so-perfect grammar ahead :D]

After chatting, my thoughts are playing with me again. So...choosing was really simple. for me...it is wisdom. My original reasoning is that wisdom is an accumulation of knowledge. I am merely reiterating all of this to simply because I still believe that should have been a good enough answer.

Because in today's world, with everything at our fingertips...gathering knowledge is not only very simple but almost unsatisfying with those with a thirst to learn. With the simple click of a button in "Google" or "Yahoo!" one would immediately have the answer to any question (such as what movie a quote may be from), there for acquiring knowledge. this instantaneous gain has a tendency to not be remembered or stocked away for a time when needed again due to it being so easily obtained and not futile for anything but answering the immediate question. BUT, for one to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom.... all acquired knowledge must be stock piled in one's mind and put to good use when the time calls for it. This accumulated knowledge is only a small part of what wisdom really is. right?

Wisdom is dependence on a set of values, morality if you will, how it is gained and lost, and how it differs from knowledge. Wisdom is not one thing.. it is a whole array of better-than-ordinary ways of being, living, and dealing with the world we live in. Due to this, and because individual wise people convey wisdom's characteristics in different ways and to different degrees, this cannot be answered briefly nor by one person alone.

So... I will leave it at this: Knowledge is the surface of the lake that may go a little deeper when the wind blows ripples into to water, but wisdom is the vast entirety of the lake and all the life with in it.