Pursuing Wisdom

Once upon a time wisdom was something people coveted and admired.  Once upon a time there was thought to be a way to gauge what was wise and what was not.  People once stood in awe of King Solomon because of his wisdom in settling a seemingly intractable dispute between two prostitutes over a baby.  He famously suggested that the baby be cut in two and each one given a half.  The wisdom in this gruesome suggestion is that the "true mother" of the boy would rather give him away than watch him cut in two.  (It is really even wiser because even if the woman who objected wasn't the real mother, she was still more fit to raise the child than a woman who would watch a baby be cut in half.)  Wisdom like that can help you find your way through some messy stuff.
Here are a few brief suggestions on pursuing wisdom in a more modern context:
1. If you listen to propaganda, you will end up thinking the world is worse than it is.
2. If you fail to account for human sinfulness, you will end up thinking the world is better than it is.
3.  If you only listen to people who agree with you, you will most likely end up wrong together.
4. If being right is always the most important thing, you will probably be alone quite a bit.
5. Wisdom is not only knowing what is right, but how much being right matters in any given situation.
6. Always assume there's a lot that you don't know.
7. Always remember that perspective matters, a lot.
8. Keep in mind that truth very rarely shouts.
9. Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds,

Okay, so I stole number nine, but that leads me to:
10. Standing on the shoulders of giants is a good way to see clearly, just never think you are the giant.