Wisdom during times of great suffering and heated emotions

It's no brainer that the suffering is immense. More than what some people can even hear about let alone living it?

While reflecting on the same old happening again in the region and the agitated reaction worldwide by people and silence by goverments. I sought refuge in writing about wisdom being one of the essential virtue to lean on.

I found that Wisdom’s first characteristic is Calmness which by definition is:

- the state or quality of being free from agitation or strong emotion.

- the state or condition of being free from disturbance or violent activity.

I also saw Wisdom as using knowledge to make the best out if a situation or to resolve an issue by reflecting on it based on virtue in what you do, how and why you do it. Virtue is the criteria of deciding who, how and why all together

A virtuous cause doesn’t justify a malice course of action.

If knowledge is not available to you but you still choose wisdom. Wisdom then is saying I do not know, I do not have enough verified information.

Or I do not have the capacity to verify, evaluate, examine the information I have.

If the course of action proposed doesn’t align with virtue, a wise person will not go down that road.

Wisdom is Calm. It can exist with regulated anger and sadness but it never let them lead, it acknowledges emotions and direct their energy towards the best of everyone - not one side.

However, wisdom never exist with violence or uses its energy.

Wisdom needs the full picture (Unbiased Knowledge) therefore it must step out of the picture and stand in the middle finding a balance point. It requires courage of facing being misunderstood or rejected by both parties as each party wants it to stand on its side.

Wisdom doesn’t take sides neither it seeks pleasing others.

Because of its powerful calmness, it regulates and balances emotions to guide them in the right direction.

Wisdom, knowledge or emotions: Who is leading?

Wisdom can’t be manipulated and led by the available knowledge and/or the agitated emotions when they are not in alignment with virtue wisdom is rooted in. When wisdom leads, it reflects, evaluates, measures, examines throughout. Wisdom takes time and knows how, when and why not only to talk but to be silent too.

If Virtue is ignored, available knowledge is used for manipulation and can turn valid emotions into a monster filling the vacuum in the absence of wisdom.

In the absence of both wisdom and knowledge (true knowledge), emotions take over and when Virtue is ignored, they become uncontrollable. The reactions they cause are celebrated for very short lived time in the middle of heated environments before reality and consequences hit hard. It is easy to be overtaken by emotions.

Wise actions are resented at first by parties because the opposite side is acknowledged - not what they wish for. These actions are only appreciated after the hard work is done by each party that needs to face reality and look in the mirror ( لا يغير الله مافي قوم حتى يغيروا ما بأنفسهم ) and make different choices despite the pain, the long carried grief, the feelings of betrayal and disappointment or the feeling of injustice. (وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَ لَٰكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ )

Wisdom is hard, but hard can be beautiful too.

It’s very sad to see those who had been through displacement, ethnic cleansing, genocides and massacres imposing the same suffering and pain on other humans.

وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوا أَن لَّا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

So in the middle of this remember your and others' boundaries :

Not everyone must have an opinion about the conflict or must pick a side.

Not everyone must share how he/she feels to get validation of their humanity by another human.

Not everyone has opinion or emotions must share that opinion/feeling on social media or with others.

No one owes you justification for their position regardless of what side they stand on.

The side you take doesn’t make you more entitled to being heard or to make your suffering more valid than the suffering of others.

No one is in a position to validate other people humanity or entitlement to the right of life, safety and dignity.

No one must be intimidated or threatened based on what side he/she take or if they choose not to take a side. People are free to choose not to be involved.