Wisdom and Service?

Everyone and every society have a different definition of wisdom. For example, I believe my grandparents are very wise since they have lived for a long time and have experienced many different situations and events. This wide array of experiences gives them wisdom on many different issues. Wisdom at its core is the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Many people in today’s society tie financial success with wisdom. In order to be financially successful you have to be money-wise, but there are many different forms of wisdom. A wise person puts thought into his actions and wants them to have a positive impact on society. This is why I think a discussion about wisdom is appropriate in a service learning class. Service has a strong positive impact on society; therefore a wise person will recognize the importance of service. A wise person can recognize the need to be actively involved in society in order to ensure that society runs according to his standards of right and wrong.
After reading “The Apology” for the second time in my college career, I have developed a greater respect for Socrates. He truly believed that he was performing service, or the act of god, when he pointed out to wise men that they were not wise. Socrates said, “For I spend my whole life in going about persuading you all to give your first and greatest care to improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth. And I tell you that wealth does not bring excellence, but that wealth, and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in private, comes from excellence.” A good place to receive this excellence is through helping others. The act of service can bring true wisdom in recognizing the need to help others. This wisdom of service will lead to one’s own excellence.
The first time I read “The Apology”, I thought that Socrates was conceited and just liked to hear himself talk. I thought he did not care about his fellow Athenians and just wanted to make himself look good. But now I believe that he was doing his people a service by promoting their own personal excellence and true wisdom. This second reaction surprises me a little bit because it shows how much I really have changed while at Loras. The liberal arts education and the wide range of subjects and styles of classes that I have taken have taught me to think outside the box. I am able to look at different situations from different angles which has allowed me to draw different conclusions and perspectives. When I first came to Loras I thought I had a pretty wide perspective on most issues, but soon found out my rural public high school education did not expose me to many issues. I would definitely have been one of those men Socrates would have examined and proclaimed unwise because I believed in my own wisdom. Now I feel like a novice, and I think there is no better place to find my excellence than with service.