Choosing Wisdom

We've been talking a lot about different kinds of wisdom represented in ancient literature. Today, we talked about Wisdom of Solomon, one of the books in the Apocrypha. In this, they talk a lot about natural theology, where the world is so beautiful that it can't be an accident, and the idea that since existence is in motion, there has to be a creator more powerful and better than what he created moving it. Which is super understandable if you have been to a place as beautiful as Rhodes.

We've been walking around the city, and everywhere you turn there's some sort of natural beauty, or beauty in the uniqueness of the architecture. I am a Christian, and I can look around myself here and see God's beauty everywhere. We're walking along the beach, and you just look out at the water and hear the waves and know there has to be something more to this world than just a happen-chance mix of cells combining in exactly the right ways to make this world we know today.

A lot of times, people look at those who have faith in God or are spiritual as looking beyond fact, being ignorant to the discoveries of science. I think there is a "wisdom" in faith. It seems to me like whatever path you choose, whether its believing in the scientific discoveries of today or the traditional religious views from the past, you still have to have a leap of faith and trust in what you believe in. I grew up with two science-y parents who are still very religious. I've always been encouraged to learn about what scientific progress is being made. But its so often that the world only makes sense to me from a faith perspective.

Maybe this isn't the "wisdom" we were told to write about in our blog title. Maybe this is controversial, since I know everyone reading this isn't Christian, or even have a faith. But being in Greece, with all the religious history and tradition behind everything forces you into thinking about what you believe. I've noticed that a custom people do here is cross themselves when they walk in front of a church. There are so many traditions and customs that relate back to some sort of faith, and even looking at ancient structures like the Acropolis or learning about the Colossus of Rhodes have mythological references to them.

Being in Greece makes you think through a lot of deep questions, beyond just what makes you unique. You are forced into situations in which you question your core values, and question what you think makes you "you." It can be through small things, like trying a dish you have no idea what it is, or it can be in a larger sense, like attending an orthodox church service and watching the traditional customs of people there. All in all, the wisdom I have been gaining through this trip has been vast, and not just about classwork or social customs. Its been learning more about who I am as a person, what my values are, and how I view the world around me. And I want to continue to choose to learn more about myself throughout this experience and once I'm back at PLU.