WISDOM

Definition of Wisdom:
The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; the quality of being wise.

Synonyms of Wisdom:
Sageness, intelligence, understanding, insight, perceptiveness, discernment, prudence, etc.

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs.
Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail.
We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise.
Then and only then are we wise. –One More Day | More…

Our program is founded on wisdom, and the wisdom is the light of our lives. Without wisdom, how could we learn how far we have come rather than berate ourselves for how slow we are moving? –Days of Healing | More…

We need to be careful about judging the old ones when we talk. When they speak, listen very carefully.

Often it will take weeks or maybe even years before we understand what they are really saying. This is the way of Wisdom. We need to listen, listen, listen. —Elders Meditations

The value of staying close to the Creator is the immediate help we have available to us whenever we need it. I can listen to the whisper of my heart for this is the place He communicates with me.

Staying close helps me remember that we are here to serve Him and to help other people. The Grandfathers are my direct access to wisdom; He who has wisdom has everything.

If we have wisdom, then we will see our lives become more effective in the areas of jobs, relationships, family, friends, and finances. —Elders Meditations

Wisdom is gained in many ways.
We can learn from others, if we’re willing.

We can listen to the voice within — that inner sense of what can and should be done. Or we can — and quite often do — pay the price for that wisdom gained from experience.  –One More Day | More…

Our need to make all things perfect, to know all the answers, to control everything within our range, creates problems where none really exist. Inattention relieves the tension; last week’s problems can seldom be recalled.

The one we are keeping a problem with our undivided attention can be turned loose, at this moment. And just as quickly, the turmoil we’ve been feeling will be beyond recall too.

The program offers us another way to approach life. We can learn to accept the things we cannot change, and change the things we can . . . with practice. –Each Day a New Beginning/Karen Casey | More…

The value of staying close to the Creator is the immediate help we have available to us whenever we need it. I can listen to the whisper of my heart for this is the place He communicates with me.

Staying close helps me remember that we are here to serve Him and to help other people. The Grandfathers are my direct access to wisdom; He who has wisdom has everything.

If we have wisdom, then we will see our lives become more effective in the areas of jobs, relationships, family, friends, and finances. –Elders Meditation | More…

When we make our Step Ten check-up, we see our mistakes.
We need to see our strengths too.

Our faults have a good side.
Are you stubborn?

Good—be stubborn, you know how to hang on to feelings.
So, hang on to the good feelings instead of the bad ones. –Keep It Simple | More…

If we sat in a circle and put an object in the center of the circle and we all described what we saw, everyone would see different points of view from each other. Some would even see opposites because they would be sitting on opposite sides of the circle.

In other words, you don’t have to see what I see for you to be right. In fact, everyone in the circle is right based on their own point of view.

If we are willing to listen to everyone’s point of view, then we can get a more accurate description of the object in the center. This is one way to put our minds together.

When we get the clarity from each other, we should give thanks and be grateful to each other. —Elders Meditations

The longer we live this Twelve Step program, the more we realize that we do not have all the answers. Acknowledging our limitations and our powerlessness is the beginning of wisdom.

Conceding that we cannot manage our own lives puts us in a position whereby we may humbly ask for the wisdom that comes from our Higher Power. –Food For Thought 23/04 | More…

If we look at the world through suspicious or angry eyes, we’ll find a world that mirrors our expectations. When we see with our hearts, our responses will be soft acceptance.

When our hearts guide the action we can accept those things we cannot change, and change those we can. And the heart, as the seat of all wisdom, will always know the difference. –Worthy of Love/Karen Casey | More…

Touch not the poisonous firewater that makes wise men turn to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. ––Tecumseh, SHAWNEE” –

It’s not an accident that firewater is also called spirits. Firewater affects our judgments. The Great Spirit created a set of laws and principles by which we are to live our lives. When we have problems we should pray and ask for the wisdom of these laws. If instead we turn to liquor, our judgement will be affected. It is the decision and choice made under the influence of booze that causes us to be fools. We need to learn to lean on prayer and not on the spirits of alcohol. –Elders Meditations | More…

The value of staying close to the Creator is the immediate help we have available to us whenever we need it. I can listen to the whisper of my heart for this is the place He communicates with me. Staying close helps me remember that we are here to serve Him and to help other people. The Grandfathers are my direct access to wisdom; He who has wisdom has everything. If we have wisdom, then we will see our lives become more effective in the areas of jobs, relationships, family, friends, and finances. –Elders Meditations | More…

If we sat in a circle and put an object in the center of the circle and we all described what we saw, everyone would see different points of view from each other. Some would even see opposites because they would be sitting on opposite sides of the circle. In other words, you don’t have to see what I see for you to be right. In fact, everyone in the circle is right based on their own point of view. If we are willing to listen to everyone’s point of view, then we can get a more accurate description of the object in the center. This is one way to put our minds together. When we get the clarity from each other, we should give thanks and be grateful to each other. –Elders Meditations | More…

It is said, how you live your life makes so much noise that people can’t hear what you are saying anyway. It is so easy to see people who do not walk the talk. –Elders Meditations | More…

Life has got to be lived—that’s all there is to it. At 70 I would say the advantage is that you take life more calmly. You know that, “This, too, shall pass!” –Each Day a New Beginning | More…

Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise. Understanding comes when we expand ourselves to our fullest capacities and accept ourselves just as we are. Then and only then are we wise. –One More Day

When we make our Step Ten check-up, we see our mistakes. We need to see our strengths too. Our faults have a good side. Are you stubborn? Good—be stubborn, you know how to hang on to feelings. So, hang on to the good feelings instead of the bad ones. –Keep It Simple