Wisdom is the state of being wise which means having the power of judgment and judging appropriately as to what is true and what is not. Wisdom does not mean having lot of knowledge. People can easily be acquainted with theories, concepts and scientific facts and principles, but just a few can apply the information in their deeds and actions. 

Enlightenment in seven days: Buddha told his disciples that whoever makes an effort can attain enlightenment in seven days. If he can’t manage it, certainly he will attain it in seven months, or in seven years. The young man decided that he would attain it in one week, and he wanted to know what he should do: “concentration” was the reply from Buddha.
The young man began to practice, but in ten minutes he was already distracted. Little by little, he began paying attention to everything that distracted him, and thought that he was not wasting time, but was getting used to himself. One fine day he decided it was not necessary to arrive at his goal so fast, because the path was teaching him many things. It was at that moment that he became an “enlightened” one.

In life when we get academic degrees and have knowledge of specific areas, we are called knowledgeable. Wisdom is not just about knowledge, but applying that knowledge into our everyday life. When you do that, this is when you know that you are truly wise.

We have wrong perception that there is a certain age at which maturity sets in. Some say it is 18, some say it is 25, some say it is 40…. But I have met a young child of 7 years whom I found matured and wise, and I’ve known older guys of 60 and 70 years of age very childish.

The Japanese master: A great Japanese master received a university professor who came to enquire about wisdom. The master served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. ‘It is overfull. No more will go in!’ ‘Like this cup,’ the master said, ‘you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you wisdom unless you first empty your cup?’

Well, I’m not sure that we can be mature in every situation that presents itself to us because we are always growing and learning as human beings, and I’m pretty sure that all of us have been guilty of at least some of these negative behaviours at least once in our lives; that being said, I give here below some of the following signs of wisdom.

1. Realizing how much you don’t know. 2. Listening more and talking less. 3. being aware and considerate of others as opposed to being self-absorbed, self-centred, and selfish. 4. Not taking everything personally, not getting easily offended, or feeling the need to defend, prove, or make excuses for self. 5. Being grateful and gracious, not complaining. 6. Taking responsibility for your own health and happiness, not relying on others and blaming others for the circumstance you are in. 7. We need to be compassionate to ourselves and others in tough times. 8. being calm and peaceful, not desperate, frantic, or irrational.  9. Do not brag about yourself.

I’m sure there are probably other signs, but this list covers at least the majority of them. I know we can always do a better job by displaying our mature sides. I also know that, by doing so, we lift each other up through our example. But, what is most important, however, is seeing the negative side of our behaviour and knowing we must do something positive to change it; and my dear friends that is what is WISDOM.

Is Ignorance really bliss?

The vast majority of humanity has remained poor and exploited. We are suffering the amalgamated consequences of generations of ignorance.  Even today majority of mankind is struggling to fulfill their basic needs. The strong has always accumulated power over the weak. We humans don’t like when people act differently than us; so we ridicule, pick on, ostracize and punish each other for unusual behavior. We don’t like others progressing, going ahead of us.  So we tend to aimlessly oppose progress. We don’t like to step out of our comfort zone and hence we maintain our level of ignorance, and unfortunately we tend to rest cozily in our ignorance. One of the big reasons we are so dumb is because we’ve we have lost the courage and inspiration to do new things. Our frog mentality makes us pull down someone who wants to go out and explore truth. Ironically, the smarter you think you are the more often you look down on people who are smarter than you.

What has been the role of media in people loosing their curiousness?

The media enlightens us smartly to what the influential people want us to do. Governments are not making education a priority. The world wouldn’t be so dumb if our governments devoted more resources to education than war. If we’d spent our entire war budget on education, we would have united and decided that we want peace and progress of mankind.  Education is supposed to refine thinking. Sorry to state that academic philosophy has failed humanity. And specializations in education system disallow us to look at problems completely; instead we tend to look at them only from one perspective known to us. Schools are supposed to teach students to be inquiring, to learn new things on their own. They are supposed to ask questions and seek answers from teachers, peers, parents, society at large. Unfortunately, academia has become paralyzed; brainless hierarchical bureaucracy has taken the control of it.

What has been the role of education in people loosing their curiousness?

We are ridiculing the education system by corroding the curiousness from it. The academia doesn’t want the students to think. More often than not schools, colleges and universities teach students to think what their professors think. The quickest way to get in a fight with a modern mainstream academic philosophy is to say that philosophy should be useful. We are producing mentally limited engineers, doctors, managers, teachers, political heroes, and scientists.  The modern education system is promoting ignorance than enlightenment. Curiosity is an important trait of learners; the mind is like a muscle which becomes stronger through continual exercise, the mental exercise caused by curiosity makes our mind stronger and stronger. Our education system is nips curiosity in children.

What has been the role of religion in people loosing their curiousness?

Religion has torn us apart. We are so blindfolded with our religion that we don’t want to seek truth outside the religious frames. If you dare to do, religion forbids this. It stops people in their rational tracks. Instead of spreading peace and harmony which any religion is supposed to propagate it is only holding people back from going ahead on progressive paths. Throughout the human history religion has been doing only damage. From beginning we have been failed to replace religion with useful philosophy and it has kept us in the dark and will continue to do so. Society is so lost in doing nothing worthwhile. And, we don’t know that we are lost and are aimlessly wandering.

We have no idea what we’re doing, and we’re just guessing while putting on enough airs to make it look like we have done great things together. We are looking up to our political, religious leaders for guidance. We are so ignorant about their powers. They are blinder than we are, so it is like one blind leading horde of blinds. There is one difference between us and them; they are good at lying. Whom can we emulate in this overpopulated world? Friends, there is drought of good leaders. Rapid evolution of regional and then global processes requires strong innovations in products and processes. The political and business environment is increasingly becoming complex which is globally making the talent shortage wider. The top global human capital challenges are due to deficits in two key areas of leadership: vision and strategic thinking. Geographically, the developing continents Africa, Asia and the Middle East are the regions with the largest gaps in human competence. Globally, leadership deficit is combined with slack loopholes in government regulatory system, law and order, risk and instability and most dishonest governing frameworks.

Finally, how terrified are you of your stupidity? If you are not terrified, then enjoy bliss of your ignorance. And, if you are terrified then do something amazing to get rid of your stupidity. And, don’t waste your life in vain while making a mockery of the infinitely priceless gift of life. At the moment we need a delicate balance of diversity and unity essentially as a goal of democratic nation-states and of teaching and learning in a democratic society. We need to adapt teaching to different student characteristics by using diverse methods of teaching. We need adaptation to the ability levels, patterns of different abilities, learning styles, personality characteristics, and cultural backgrounds. We need convergent and divergent approaches to teaching and learning so that we don’t lose curiousness.

An Agenda is a schedule or list of items to be attended to in a meeting. The difference between meetings with and without agendas can mean chaos, tangled viewpoints, misunderstood norms and very few accomplishments. An agenda communicates to attendees that the meeting will be conducted in an orderly fashion and that productivity is the goal. Businesses hold meetings to achieve goals and get things done, share information, develop plans, document progress, provide precision and make decisions. An agenda can ensure that the meeting stays on track and that special projects and routine operations proceed as intended. An agenda can help the board of directors’ function as an effective team. Usually the Board Secretary, who is often the CFO, is responsible for organizing the Board meeting. The Secretary cannot be effective, however, without the active support of the CEO and the Board Chairman.

A well planned agenda gives a greater sense of control. The agenda is often sent out in advance of the meeting so attendees know what to expect and have time to prepare their view points on action points. An agenda gives the person conducting the meeting control over the flow of discussions, the issues covered and the attendees responsible for reporting specific information at the meeting. An agenda also helps keep the meeting within a programmed time frame controlling when issues are discussed. People are less likely to slow the meeting with interruptions if they know that their issue is on the agenda. Each attendee can relax knowing that the meeting is under control and that issues that are important to each are listed on agenda.

An agenda increases productivity at meetings. Attendees of the meeting understand that all items on the agenda must be discussed and are likely to move at a pace that ensures they will cover everything. Agendas make it clear which items need action and who are the responsible people to take those actions. This allows attendees to leave meetings knowing what must be accomplished before the next meeting. The agenda also allows attendees to evaluate actions at the next meeting and receive progress report. The agenda helps attendees zero in on the areas where decisions are needed and clears the way for progress. Attendees can leave the meeting feeling relaxed and with sense of achievement with the agenda to verify their productivity.

Agendas help in maintaining documentation. As meeting progresses, the person taking minutes notes on the agenda, the results of each discussion, which action items were completed or which are newly developed, reports given, issues to be resolved and other documentation of events at the meeting. The agenda notes help while creating minutes that match the flow of the meeting and also provide inclusive documentation of the meeting.

It is standard procedure in most workplaces to record everything that transpires in a meeting. The stupidest thing such as a spat or a quarrel also is recorded. Methods of record-keeping vary from organization to organization. But the most common method is having a secretary take notes. These notes which are called minutes, is usually first circulated in draft form so that all participants have the opportunity to check for accuracy and to make corrections if necessary. This ensures that all participants agree that the record is precise.

Minutes of the meeting: Are the well written record of meeting, particularly in board of directors and shareholders corporate meetings. The names of everyone in attendance at the meeting are usually the first things recorded, the names of absentees is also recorded. This serves two purposes: one, absent members can stay in the loop and keep abreast of what they missed at the meeting, and two, their absence from this meeting becomes part of the public record. If some participants regularly find ways to avoid meetings, they might be more reluctant to skip a future meeting when they realize their repeated absences have been noted.

We often see that human memory is fallible. Some participants are likely to have selective memories and forget whatever doesn’t validate their viewpoint; this particularly happens in case of contentious issues. An open record is a good idea and means to remind everyone what was agreed upon and why. It is especially important to have records to refer back to after a significant amount of time has passed and people are no longer sure what had emerged and why certain decisions were taken in a fashion. New managers find it helpful to review previous meeting minutes to quickly learn how the organization has been functioning and to detect patterns in behavior of the participants.

Recording a meeting and making the record available to absent participants in the meeting is a way to be more inclusive. Even though those absent participants might not have been able to provide their input during the meeting, they can still see how decisions were made. They will have some knowledge about the decision-making process and will know who the key decision makers were. They will be able to approach meeting participants and offer their point of view if they so choose to do so.

Minutes help in taking suitable actions. Meetings tend to become more efficient when participants are aware of their discussions being recorded; they are more likely to stay on topic. The minutes provide a record of decisions made and who is responsible for taking action. There is an increased chance that these actions will be carried out. Without a record, the participants might not remember who is responsible for the next step of the action plan and disputes might arise. With a public record to refer to, those responsible will be held accountable and expected to proceed as agreed. Unresolved issues won’t be forgotten and can be reopened at a successive meeting.

Knowledge of agenda and minutes of meeting helps in holding efficient and effective meetings.  Good meeting in turn helps making projects successful. In a good meeting, participant’s ideas are heard, decisions are made through group discussion and with reasonable speed, and activities are focused on desired results. Good meetings help generate keenness in projects, help in building skills for future projects, and provide participants with techniques that may benefit them in their jobs.

Good meetings require good leaders (chair) and good participants. A good leader understands the purpose of a meeting, he/she makes sure that all participants understand this purpose; it helps keep the discussion on track, and ensures that each participant is involved in discussions. A good leader works with participants to carry out the business of the meeting in the allotted time. These responsibilities require distributing an agenda, minutes of the previous meeting and other written materials prior to a meeting.

Good participants come to a meeting prepared for the business at hand; with reports ready, concerns over key issues thought out, and questions about key issues organized. They don’t come late for the meetings, they are in time. A good leader does not wait for latecomers.   A good meeting starts in time and ends in time. Late entrants disturb the meeting during the middle of a coherent discussion.  Good participants also bring to the table their best listening skills, manners and etiquettes and concise discussing manners. Good participants take turns while talking, stay on the point of discussion, and help to move decisions forward without any quarrels.

I want to quote here James T. Kirk’s thought on meeting in lighter vein “a meeting is an event where minutes are taken and hours wasted”.

The Literature review is a vital part of the research process.  You will gain important insights by reviewing assortment of literature available on your topic of research. By reviewing literature you will gain an approach, knowledge, and more awareness on your chosen topic for research. An in-depth literature evaluation will help you in setting the stage for a better-designed study and will help improve your chances in obtaining significant results.  Therefore, it is worth the time and effort to analyze it in right fashion.

Reviewing the literature involves finding the sources, analyzing, amalgamating, and interpreting. You might find incompatible and contrasting views expressed by different authors on your topic. These conflicting points of view might be the indicators of swerving theories within the same topic. To shape up a genuine research, you need to be aware of these conflicting theories as well. Remember, verity of arguments and your views add flavor to your thesis. Being aware of those theories will help you later in your life; you will be able to talk and apply your knowledge in your work from different perspectives.

The literature review is science as well as art. You can have it as chapter at the beginning of your thesis or it can even be involved as veiled literature review throughout the thesis. The literature review should be balanced with your thought process on the topic, your ideas are most important. Some researchers stuff half of their thesis with literature review. Keep in mind that the literature (secondary data) is somebody else’s idea and not yours. It is not new information either. Therefore, try to give something new by taking support of existing literature.

One common way to approach literature review is to start out broad and then become more specific by narrowing down the focus. This style of writing is called ‘An Inverted Triangle’. Usually, when researchers get a hang of their topic, they recognize that the readers/referees will skim the thesis to find points of relevance. The inverted pyramid style of writing presents the essential facts in the first paragraph, with a hope of drawing the reader into the narrative. This style is used in the majority of thesis/research papers.

This type of writing fashion enhances your writing: all the facts are presented in order of importance, with the most important information leading the narrative. This style of writing is quite creative and functional. The first paragraph usually answers who, what, when, where and why. The rest of the narration provides detailed descriptions, quotations from witnesses or experts, and background information that relates to the opening paragraph.

You will find literature from variety of sources such as previous research thesis, newspapers, periodicals, books, journals, abstracts, Internet, Wikipedia, news bulletins, television, radio etc.

A careful and exhaustive review of the literature helps you in following manner:

• Enables you to focus on the purpose of your study more precisely.
• It develops a conceptual or theoretical framework that might be useful to touch upon your research objectives.
• It also helps to identify key variables for easing your methodology.
• You can find inter relationships among the chosen variables to quantify the study.
• If you find a previous research on similar topic of yours, you can meaningfully extend it.
• A literature review helps you conclude relationship on current and past scenario.
• And, most importantly it helps you prepare validated questionnaires for collecting primary data.

Four of the most common formats of literature review are:

Historical Format: Here the review is organized chronologically.  This is preferred when focus is on the progression of research methods or theories, or a change in practice over time.

Conceptual Format: Review is organized according to relevant concepts and theories.

Methodological Format:  Where literature review organizes and shapes the format that of an empirical paper. This is used most often used in meta-analytic reports.

Hypothetical Format: The role of this form is to examine the quantity of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue. The hypothetical literature review helps to establish rationale based upon what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what extent the existing theories have been examined, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested.

Lastly, this might sound a bit obscure but you will find that by reviewing other’s thesis, you will learn about the ways other people have constructed their own research work. Seeing what others have done, type of approach adopted by them, logic in organizing chapters might help you understand your own assignment. You might be able to see the methods that other, more experienced researchers have used and it might give you a fair idea to follow your own research methodology. As a researcher, you are required to write the literature review to summarize and discuss the major documents published in that topic in the past and present. The narration will take into account the methods and the results or findings of the most relevant tips. Your referees will assess whether the methodology is appropriate and whether the results seem valid. Don’t merely list books, documents, periodical, journals, and websites do read relevant points and discuss them. If your merely list unread references, your examiner might search for those references in your thesis and might raise objections.

In the words of Lawrence Clark Powell – “To achieve lasting literature, fictional or factual, a writer needs perceptive vision, absorptive capacity, and creative strength”