Upside-Down Wisdom #6: Wisdom and Age
“With age comes wisdom.”
“With age comes wisdom.”
It sounds respectable, doesn’t it? Reassuring.
Like wisdom is something you earn through time served—stick around long enough and it’ll show up, like a pension check.
But here’s the thing:
Wisdom doesn’t run on a timer.
We’ve all met people who’ve collected decades but still believe every fearful thought their mind throws at them.
And we’ve met children who can see through the noise with stunning clarity.
Because wisdom isn’t something you acquire.
It’s not granted with your AARP card.
It doesn’t accumulate like reward points for surviving hardship.
Wisdom comes standard.
It’s built-in—part of the original design.
The trouble is, most of us were never taught how to listen for it.
We mistake loud opinions for wisdom.
We confuse experience with clarity.
We take the most common advice and call it truth.
But real wisdom doesn’t shout.
It doesn’t push or posture.
It doesn’t tighten the chest or demand urgency.
It often comes as a quiet yes
or no
or wait.
Simple. Clear. No drama.
It doesn’t argue for its own importance—it doesn’t have to.
It just stands there, peaceful and steady, waiting for the moment we remember how to recognize it.
So here’s today’s Upside-Down Wisdom:
Age adds years. Wisdom was there all along.
This is Upside-Down Wisdom—a series where we flip the script on the conventional "wisdom" we've been taught.