get them and the gates will open by themselves

1. Wisdom

Here are the components of wisdom:

grasp + insight = synthesis

memory + association = expression

synthesis + expression = wisdom

Grasp is the ability to understand the domain, globally seeing all the connections between the intricate parts. Not everyone shares a strong grasp on the same things. Some have a grasp on maths, they easily understand how a theorem relates to another, how the demonstrations have consequences on other hypotheses and so on. Others have a grasp on cooking and understand how taste works even if they cannot explain it with words. The grasp on something allows one to link things together inside a domain of knowledge because the basic primordial connections are obvious to them.

Insight is the ability to extract very specific contextual cause and effect descriptions from the area you have a strong grasp on. It is very common actually that grasp does not have insight. In groups insight is what can be shared while grasp cannot.

Memory and association work in a team. Memory is a very important quality but the difference is made by retrieval. And in humans retrieval is achieved by association. One memory triggers another and this network of memories should be endlessly trained to grow. An isolated memory of the most interesting thing in the world is worth nothing if not retrievable in relation with what is worth something.

Wisdom is a sort of mastery. It allows one to create the maximum of effect with the minimum of resources. The power of expression achieves the maximum effect while synthesis ensure the least waste of effort. Wise is that one who glows in the dark, which is able to effectively explain the world at some point in time as to be a mark you can rely on in the night of reason.

2. Equilibrium

The recipe for equilibrium is this:

acceptance + concentration = perspective

calm + internalization = attention

perspective + attention = equilibrium

The quality of equilibrium is common to both great gamblers and perfect suburban family life. Although we tend to favor the latter, a risk taker with equilibrium in his arsenal can seriously disrupt the world.

I find that the best, if overused, metaphor for equilibrium is walking on wire. Those people look at the end of the wire, not at the immediate piece in front of them: perspective. They get this perspective from accepting that there is a wire below and they can only walk on that thin wire. Then they concentrate on the goal: reaching the end. Knowing the plane and the horizon gives one perspective.

The wire walkers don’t panic. On a tightrope panic is the worst. One has to be calm and pay attention to themselves: internalize. Up on a wire all worthy signals come from the body and the brain, very little good info may be of use from the outside.

3. Determination

principle + reality = clarity

purpose + will = patience

clarity + patience = determination

When you manage to merge a principle with the reality, you will find clarity. Clarity shows where absolute truth of the principle start to fade and give way to the relative truths of reality. The bigger the clarity the more shades you’ll see.

Will by default is all consuming. Purpose is the stabilizer. Having a purpose makes the will calculate the fuel, become efficient, take care of the tiny details, iterate and improve all which basically define patience. Most people confuse patience with bearing the waiting, but au contraire patience is all about not waiting, but acting, now, while expecting the future promised. Patience is the certainty that it is just a matter of time until everything you currently do will reflect into the net result for the objective.

Determination holds one true to their dreams. Determination happens when you know how things work and you are anchored on your vision on the future. The thing about determination is that once achieved the human is nearly unstoppable, except for death.