The importance of wisdom for RI future leaders

By Mochtar Buchori

JAKARTA (JP): For quite some time we have been complaining about leaders perceived as injudicious. Many see today's current multiple crises as the result of the leadership of people unable to foresee the impact of their words, deeds and decisions.

Since 1959 our political leaders gradually lost their wisdom until the end of their political careers. They progressively lost the decision making capabilities needed to solve problems of the day.

Later, younger political leaders succeeded them, people who did not even comprehend the meaning of wisdom. Whatever their decisions, they have not solved problems, and have instead made them even more complicated.

It is the scarcity of wise leaders who can see the roots of each problem that has led to this situation. Or, it has been the failure of wise people in our midst to climb up into leadership positions.

What is "wisdom"?

One Dutch dictionary defines it as "the correct, highest form of knowledge founded upon insight and life experiences". An English dictionary defines it as "understanding of what is true, right, or lasting".

And what is "insight"? The Dutch dictionary says it is "the glimpse, the look with the eyes of the soul into the nature or the essence of something; the intellectual comprehension of [an existing] interrelationship; notion".

The English dictionary defines "insight" as "the capacity to discern the true nature of situation; penetration". Another English dictionary says insight is "the result of penetrating perception" or "an elucidating glimpse".

So wisdom can be acquired only by those with the ability to grasp the meaning of things they encounter, and who can learn from life experiences. Wisdom is not inherited.

Without the required efforts, studying under a very wise person would not necessarily make one wise.

Examples abound with sons or daughters of wise persons becoming ill-judged adults.

Schools have been firmly entrenched in the tradition of placing excessive emphasis on knowledge. In this infatuation with knowledge the teaching of how to acquire meaning is forgotten.

Too many of our students are stuck at the superficial level of understanding mathematics, language, biology, arts, sports, history and religion. Most of this is meaningless knowledge which can never be the basis of wisdom, or insight.

Such knowledge is only a burden. We only need meaningful knowledge, which is an intellectual instrument helping us to effectively seek solutions.

A life of wisdom is the result of a combination of meaningful knowledge, meaningful attitudes and meaningful skills.

Teaching often fails to impart the generic meaning of concepts, which has led to many differences in interpretation. The word "manipulation" has a negative connotation among social scientists, whereas to mathematicians and natural scientists it is neutral.

Worse, we have failed to teach the meaning of values or norms, which constitute the basis of attitude. Some think "democracy" includes intimidation, coercion and political bribery. We use the word "tolerance", but some teach their young that people embracing religions other than their own are "enemies".

A skill is meaningful when we know how to use it effectively and wisely. A skill in martial arts is meaningful when used against the right target, at the right time and to the right degree.

But it will become meaningless when we harm people without legitimate reason. This is also the case with other skills: skills in legal matters, in writing, in politics, and so on.

With meaningless knowledge and skills it has become next to impossible for the younger generation to develop wisdom.

The lack of wise leaders is the final consequence of the failure of our schools to impart meaningful knowledge, attitudes and skills to the present generation of leaders.

How could a politician become a wise leader if he or she does not know the meaning of "political representation", and what the relationship is between political, social and economic change?

In politics, wisdom is the ability to use knowledge and skills in a way that is morally right, socially relevant and meaningful for improving the lives of constituents.

The expert Philip H. Phenix has described six realms of meaning, each one requiring a different mental process. This must be understood if we want a generation of wise politicians.

Failure to impart meanings to the younger generation will lead to entrapment in this unruly situation for a long time.

We cannot afford to continue educating our children to become mere memorizers of meaningless knowledge.

The writer is a legislator from the faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.