I am old now. I used to be just smart. Now
I am wise. Living 76 years will do that to
you. Knowledge tells you that all things
are different;  wisdom that all are one. In a
classroom, your goal is to raise your hand
first. To sit on a hillside alone in silence is
to say you are wise, that all the books of
knowledge are in libraries around the world,
but all wisdom of the Cosmos is inside you,
and has been even before you were conceived.
I know that sounds paradoxical, but that is
the essence of wisdom. When you lean back
on the hillside and gaze at the blue sky and
the white clouds and feel the soft breeze
that blows gently across your face, you feel
your omniscience, and your arm is not waving
wildly in the air, but rests serenely at your
side. Wisdom needs not to talk. It is the
silent music of the soul.

Copyright 2020 Tod Howad Hawks