Wisdom is a Life Hack

Alexander D’Albini

Wisdom is unfashionable in our Modern secular age. I rarely, if ever, see wisdom discussed on social media or in the mainstream. I never hear journalists ask politicians, ‘Was that a wise decision?’

Even in face to face discussions, people don’t ask the question of their friends, ‘What is the wise thing to do here?’, when addressing a complex personal issue.

If we look in the Bible, we see Wisdom is treated like the most precious jewel, but in our times, it barely seems to get a mention.

Proverbs 3 v 13-15

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

The Bible is an ancient book, with the Garden of Eden narrative being one of the oldest stories in the history of human civilisation. This book has collected wisdom together for centuries and yet our cultures rejects it for either being archaic, non-progressive, a Babylonian forgery or scientifically unenlightened.

I think this is foolish. Even though the technological environment is vastly different to the ancient world, we still have very similar social problems.

Wisdom literature in the Bible helps us to gain access to knowledge which we wouldn’t be able to have without years of living life. And sometimes going through some very bad experiences at that.

In modern parlance, we could say that wisdom is like getting the cheat codes to a computer game. Taking this analogy further, it’s like playing a game but you get extra hints, a bespoke tutorial and advice from experts and experienced former players. In contrast, imagine playing a game without even a proper manual, no access to streamer videos on how to accomplish the goals or only being provided with poor and misleading advice.

Wisdom literature provides a metaphorical pathway through a jungle of confusion. If we rely on it, we will know the way to go, how to solve some of the more complex problems of life and live in a more purposeful way.

From an early Christian perspective, Jesus is understood to be the personification of Wisdom. He is the jewel of great price. So if we want to be wiser in our life and relationships, focus on Christ.

Taking the analogy of life as a computer game even further, Christ is the top tier hacker of reality. By conforming to His pattern, we learn how to work with the ‘code’ and do the good works God has assigned for us to do.

So spend time reading the wisdom literature, and the Gospels. Go to church and fellowship with other Christians. Talk with wiser people. And ultimately, trust in God.

My name is Alexander D’Albini and I write the Tower of Adam SubStack. If you like my work, I’d encourage you to come over and subscribe to my newsletter. I also write articles on culture and Anglo-Saxon Christianity.