Tuesday, November 27, 2007

"...intellect and wisdom, the two most luminous lights ..."

Today's quote claims that intellect and wisdom are Gifts of God to His creatures--Us...

Cultural use can warp many meanings and help folks make mistakes in judgement (and, the current predominant cultures can't seem to own the idea that everyone can use their "intellect" and manifest "wisdom".

Always good to check your dictionary...

Here's "intellect":
"The capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination."

Here's "rational":
"Of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind."

Here's "wisdom":
"The trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight."

I should also add that the use of "man" meaning all people is consistent with English not have an appropriate word. In the original language, the word used doesn't make people see sexual differences...

And, here's the excerpt for today:

"Praise and thanksgiving be unto Providence that out of all the realities in existence He has chosen the reality of man and has honored it with intellect and wisdom, the two most luminous lights in either world. Through the agency of this great endowment, He has in every epoch cast on the mirror of creation new and wonderful configurations. If we look objectively upon the world of being, it will become apparent that from age to age, the temple of existence has continually been embellished with a fresh grace, and distinguished with an ever-varying splendor, deriving from wisdom and the power of thought."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 1