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knowledge vs. wisdom
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In reading Epictetus this morning, he said something that resonated with me. It’s as if I were to say to an athlete, ‘show me your shoulders,’ and he responded with, ‘have a look at my weights.’ ‘Get out of here with you and your gigantic weights!’ I’d say, ‘What I want to see isn’t the weights but how you’ve profited from using them.’ It emerges from a passage on progress. Epictetus is saying that you can read all the books in the world, but that’s not what’s impressive. What’s impressive (and important) is how you apply the knowledge from those books. It kind of goes back to why collecting things is sort of silly – including collecting knowledge. Knowledge is just information. But what’s a step further is applying that information to one’s lived experience. Messily wrestling with knowledge and ideas and trying to integrate them into your life – that’s what begets both wisdom and experience. It reminds me that back in seminary, I’d always say to people, “Your theology should have legs – yours!” I still stand by that. The idea is the same as Epictetus’ here. If you’re a copywriter, it means not just reading about writing and marketing and all of that. It also means putting pen to paper – putting the reps and actually practicing the craft. If you’re a designer, it means not just looking through your inspo boards and junk. It also means busting out a blank canvas and designing what’s in your mind’s eye. And if you’re me, it’s not reading about building an agency or watching countless YouTube videos on how to build your sales pipeline. It’s just… taking what I already know and making an effort. Yeah? |
The Copy Minimalist
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