The people featured in Wisdom come from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines, yet they are all wise in their own ways.
What do you think makes a person “wise”?
Do you believe older generations have a responsibility to pass along what they’ve learned?
Have you ever had a personal experience in which you were the beneficiary of someone else’s wisdom?
Can you think of someone who should have been interviewed for this book? Why would that person have made a good addition to those already featured in Wisdom?
Self-Reflection
“To learn not to define myself by what I do for a living, and that my work is an outgrowth of who I am, rather than it being the reason for who I am,” says Alan Arkin. “That’s one of the main things I got from studying Eastern thought.”
Do you define yourself by your profession? Marital status? Age? Race? Why?
Work
Clint Eastwood advises, “Take your profession seriously; don’t take yourself seriously.”
What does the word “work” mean to you?
Are you passionate about your own profession? Why or why not?
There’s a saying that the French work to live and Americans live to work. Do you think this is true?
The Environment
Environmentalism is a hot topic. What are your thoughts on the state of the planet?
Do you agree with Jane Goodall’s assertion that we’ve let the environment deteriorate to the state it’s in now because we make decisions based on the bottom line?
Do you think we can solve the problems facing our environment today?
What is each person’s role in saving our planet?
War
Zbigniew Brzezinski says, “One has to understand what the enemy is all about: the enemy’s history, the enemy’s culture, the enemy’s aspirations. If you understand these well, you can perhaps move towards peace.” Do you agree with this?
How does his view apply to our world today?
Do you think world peace is an attainable goal? Why or why not?
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