Community: Humanism
Return to stories about wisdom.
Background:
Humanists believe that wisdom has no single source of authority or sacred text, rather humans develop their own wisdom from lots of different places! Books, websites, conversations, and their own experiences inform each individual and help them to choose for themselves what they believe is true. To be wise and to have wisdom is to have the ability to think and act using knowledge and experience. Some may describe this as having common sense.
This story is based on an experience you might have found yourself in. You might recognise the thoughts and feelings the adventurer had. It has been written especially for this project to demonstrate how we can become wise.
Follow up questions:
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Can you think of a time when you have made an unwise decision? What did you do to find a better way?
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What information did the young woman use to help find her way home to safety?
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If you found yourself in her shoes, what do you think you would have done?
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What information do you find most helpful in making decisions?
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How would you describe common sense?
The Young Adventurer
After a very long morning of climbing a young woman finally finds herself on top of a mountain, gazing down at the view in front of her. She stares in wonder at the rolling green fields, with tiny white dots of sheep, hedgerows dividing up the pastures like a game of Tetris and the beautiful autumnal trees shedding their orange and red leaves. She’s so engrossed in its beauty that she doesn’t realise how much time has passed and soon she finds herself very hungry.
The woman has walked this path before and knows the way down. However, she remembers that there is a much steeper and more dangerous path that will take only half the time. She thinks of the lasagna that her father will be making, with delicious tomato sauce and layers of melty cheese, and her tummy starts to rumble. However, she also thinks of a local news story, where she read about the number of injuries people had sustained over the years by being overly confident and taking this dangerous path. Her stomach wins this battle and she is convinced that she should rush down the dangerous path to get to the food as quickly as possible.
Just as she takes the first step down the steep, gravelly path, her foot slips and she falls. This makes her wonder whether continuing down this path would be a wise option. Which is more important to her: getting to dinner quickly or ensuring her safety? She realises that her safety is more important, so she climbs back up and finds the other path. A few hours later a very hungry, but more importantly safe, young adventurer arrives home just in time for dinner.