If modern wisdom is supposed to guide us, why does the world still look like this?

On Aug. 14, 2025, I published a Substack that promised a series on the topic of wisdom, as seen from the world’s perspective, and from the three great religious traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. That post (Part 1) was titled, “Why AI Won’t Save Us—But Wisdom Might,” in case you want to look it up.

Well, it’s taken a while—the distraction of publishing a new novel and a novella being what they are—but I humbly offer you Part 2 in this series now.

We live in a complicated, amazing, but still largely broken world. Yes, there is much beauty and love on display across the four corners of our world.

Yet after millennia of history and breathtaking technological progress, the same patterns persist—power used to dominate, neighbors turned against one another, hatred dressed up as ideology, racism, and antisemitism.

Pure evil also exists, defying explanation. Let’s just start there!

What are we to do?

So what does “wisdom” look like in modern culture?

  • Self-reliance — trust your instincts above all
  • Success — outcomes, efficiency, results
  • Control — mastering situations and people
  • Self-expression — speaking your truth without restraint

At its core: wisdom is about getting ahead and staying in control.

Even our oldest wisdom literature recognizes the tension. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8)

There’s not much we can do to solve the macro, man-made issues that still plague our world. So I’ve decided perhaps the problem starts with me—with you—at the micro level, and perhaps the beginning of wisdom is this: practicing humility and discretion in all that I do.

Sometimes I fail miserably, but I recognize I’m not alone. I struggle with the same condition that has followed humanity from the beginning. However, I have the luxury of taking the medicine prescribed by God through the wise men and women who’ve come before me. The wisdom literature of the ages points us here…

Old Testament
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8

New Testament
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3

Qur’an
“And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say words of peace.” – Qur’an 25:63

Different traditions. Same posture. Yep…a tall order.

I’m workin’ on it.

Maybe, just maybe, if we take a step back from our zealous opinions and self-righteousness and adopt this kind of posture in all our dealings—starting at home with our families—we might actually see something like peace take root.