Reflections on wisdom and quality

By definition, a hero is “the consummate person, ripe and perfect; accurate in judgment, mature in taste, attentive in listening, wise in sayings, shrewd in deeds, the center of all perfection.”
Baltasar Gracian, a Spanish Jesuit, wrote a book of stratagems for reaching excellence in a competitive world. A Pocket Mirror for Heroes reflects the person as he really is and who he ought to be. It provides an image of ethical and moral reflection.
We live in a world of deceit and danger. To survive our daily challenges, one should proceed with caution; learn how to adapt to circumstances and to take nothing for granted.
Life is difficult but one should not get stuck in quicksand. Rather, one should move forward, savor the seasons and the perfection and beauty of the universe.
According to Gracian, extremes meet. The seed of wisdom is desengaño. There is no equivalent in English. It implies an awakening to truth, moral clear-sightedness that is tempered by skepticism.
It is not enough to be gifted, wise or graceful. One must know how to manage that talent and adapt it to the age in which one lives. One should show or conceal it depending on the situation. One should learn how to distinguish a quality from its shadow.
People and things are “both what they are and what they seem.” There are two kinds of reality — the inner and the outer. The inner qualities — wisdom, courage, wit — should be combined with the outer qualities — quickness, elegance, variety, grace and a charming manner.
Among the hero’s strategies for reaching distinction are:

• Conceal your intentions

• Hide your depths

• Understanding is the origin of greatness

• A sublime intellect breeds excellent taste

• Being the best

• Excellence from being first

• A heroic occupation

• Know your highest gift

• Measure your luck

• Know when to retire

• Affectation is the dead weight of greatness

• Win favors

• Grace enhances courage and prudence

Wisdom is important in our lives. We should measure life as though we had both a short and a long time to live.
“The age of maturity is destined to contemplation for the soul acquires strength as the body loses it, and the superior part of us grows, stronger,” Gracian emphasized. “In maturity, we can look back prudently and see fully what we merely glimpsed during our youth.
“Seeing makes us knowledgeable, contemplation makes us wise.”
As people move from childhood to middle age and old age, they collect all sorts of things — material possessions, emotional baggage and people. They accumulate stuff until they reach saturation level and spill over.
It is easy to become dependent on the things we own to the point that we would feel helpless without them.
There is a big difference between needs and desires. Human nature is such that our caprices and whimsical wishes exceed our real needs.
Oscar Wilde once wrote, “We live in an age that reads too much to be wise and thinks too much to be beautiful… we live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities.”
The perceptive comments from his play “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” were written in another era, but they apply accurately to life in the 21st century.
It is important to be discerning and to practice restraint. In order to seek a level of balance, one should try to be objective and detached.
When one hoards things and heavy feelings, one clutters not only physical space but mental and emotional space too. Weighed down by material possessions, one cannot move freely or think.
One is unable to savor new experiences and expand the perspective.
One can be trapped in a time warp.
On a practical level, where does one draw the line between collectibles and non-collectibles?
Artworks — paintings, antiques, medals, weapons, rare books and maps, vintage furniture, heirloom jewelry, silver and costumes, crystals, old stamps and coins, objets d’art, family photographs are worth keeping for posterity.
However, it is not necessary to hoard all the souvenirs from trips, plaques and obsolete electronic gadgets. Non-priority objects should be discarded regularly.
There is only so much quality space in one’s life.
Moving into a new house or office is the perfect opportunity to remove clutter. Space constraints would force one to downsize, and to be discriminating. One should sort, sift and select sparingly.
Some people become addicted to the high of novelty. There is the thrill of indulging in excess. Quantity over quality. Other people buy to affirm the ego. Bragging rights to impress the audience.
People derive pleasure from buying something new. Once the novelty wears off, it is no longer fun.
How does one dispose of the sentimental stuff efficiently and without pain?
The process of selection is painstaking.
One must learn to release the past and let go of the things that are no longer needed. Like barnacles that stunt growth and movement, the unnecessary thing should be cut drastically.
It is a matter of will.
 
Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.
mavrufino@gmail.com