Sage or fool?
Sage: a person recognized for judgment and wisdom.
Fool: one lacking good sense of judgment; one who can be easily tricked or made to look foolish; to dupe; to act in jest; to joke; to amuse oneself.
How often have you heard the saying: a foolish man thinks himself wise, the wise man knows he is foolish? Or some variation of that? It would seem that being the wise man would be preferable to being the foolish man, but can the two really be separated?
If, like me, you watch old kung fu movies, read manga, or watch anime, then it seems that wisdom and foolishness go hand in hand. In most forms of media the wisest sage is always also the biggest fool. (and if you watch old kung fu movies, anime, or read manga the foolish behavior is often pervy). If the foolish man thinks himself wise, he is clearly showing poor judgment in determining his wisdom, since wisdom would indicate that the fool knows little to nothing of what it is to be wise.
As socrates said: the only true wisdom lies in knowing that we know nothing.
Being the fool seems like a less desirable preference since it gives the appearance of a lack of wisdom. Yet to know how little you actually know shows true wisdom since you are acknowledging your lack of knowledge, and by acknowledging it you can take measures to improve upon it. Throughout the world there are plenty of fools, and few sages.
Which will you be? Will you embrace your lack of knowledge or will you deny it vehemently? As for me, I'm going to foolishly go about life learning what I can and maybe one day I'll be wise enough to know how foolish I am.
