A New Definition of Wisdom.
Write a book on wisdom, and the number one question you hear at book signings is “How do you define wisdom?” I tried to answer this on stage at the Commonwealth Club with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky a few years ago. You can see in this video that it took me more than three minutes to answer the question.
Recently, I’ve edited the definition of wisdom to just “metabolized experience,” but that didn’t feel complete. So, my new definition of wisdom is now this: “metabolized experience which leads to distilled compassion.” Wise people don’t just build upon their life stories for the sake of new experiences; they do so for the common good, which then allows the wise person to serve as a role model for compassion.
P.S. This Thursday at 11 am PT, I will be talking with Yale’s Dr. Becca Levy about her new book that launches today, “Breaking the Age Code.” You can register for this free online event HERE.
