Most of us don’t set out to become wise.
We’re usually far too busy trying to build relationships, raise families, establish careers, navigate disappointments and work out what on earth we’re doing with our lives. Along the way we accumulate knowledge, develop skills and gather experiences that gradually shape who we become.
Yet every now and then something unexpected happens.
For a brief moment, we see ourselves, another person or the world around us with unusual clarity. A long-standing problem suddenly makes sense. A difficult conversation takes an unexpected turn. Compassion replaces judgement. A new possibility appears where only moments before there seemed to be none.
These experiences are often fleeting, yet they can leave a lasting impression. Looking back afterwards, we sometimes find ourselves wondering, “Where on earth did that come from?”
That question has stayed with me throughout much of my life as a psychiatrist, mindfulness teacher and educator. It eventually led me to another question that proved even more important.
If experience alone doesn’t make us wiser, what does?
Those questions became the foundation of The Golden Moment, a trilogy of books exploring the relationship between mindfulness and wisdom, and how reflective practice gradually transforms the way we understand ourselves, other people and the world around us.
Perhaps the most important insight to emerge from this work is this.
The Golden Moment is not about arriving somewhere new. Rather, it is about beginning to see the same world with greater breadth, clarity and nuance. As our perception becomes richer, a much clearer sense of how everything fits together naturally begins to emerge.
The first two books are now nearing completion and are being prepared for submission to publishers, while the research and first draft of the third have already been completed.
The three articles below offer a glimpse into the ideas that underpin the trilogy and the journey that led to its development.
Begin the trilogy
- Why Wisdom Matters
- How Wisdom Develops: Why Experience Alone Isn’t Enough
- Crossing The Wisdom Threshold
Deepen your understanding
- Mindful Presence in Complexity
- Wisdom Beyond False Certainty – A Sufi Story About Wisdom, Curiosity and Critical Thinking
Interested in experiencing these ideas in practice?
Learn more about Mindful Representations Workshops and Professional Training.