APAD: Wise as an owl

The idiom "wise as an owl" is used to describe someone who is exceptionally knowledgeable, intelligent, and insightful.

Association of owls with wisdom dates back at least to 500 BC in Greece which associated the owl with the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena.  It's stemming from the owl's large, observant eyes and its reputation as a silent, watchful creature, and the fact that owls often observe their surroundings carefully before taking action.

- From online with editing
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Our backyard resident, Barry the owl, was calling again from the canopy of oak trees when I got up this morning. I assumed he was happy for more comfortable weather, compared with some very hot days a couple days ago.  

But what is wisdom?  To me, wisdom ain't about being good at playing games, but deeper understanding of life, the ability to make sound judgments based on knowledge, experience, etc.

When I joined a local Chinese blog/forum (to improve my Chinese) for a short period some years back, I used "有了自由和幸福,还在寻找智慧" as my posting signiture. Then one day, a person commented: "Wisdom is given, not learned".

That comment really caught me off guard, and made me wonder.  To be honest, I still don't know the correct answer today, although I do see wise people around, both in real life and in the virtual world.

If wisdom is given, then I don't think I'm among the chosen ones; 鬼脸  If it is learned, then I still have some hope, but probably will never catch up with the wisdom of Barry the owl ... ...

Have a nice Monday!

ps. The poem in the pic below is a famous nursery rhyme

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From now on, let that WOO be my role model. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 08:39:33

hmm, no more stoicism? ;-)) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 08:52:38

The WOO's more stoic and at least 200yrs earlier than Zeno. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 09:20:08

WoW! :-)) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 09:35:19

Wisdom comes from living. Never knew owls are wise though:) -暖冬cool夏- 给 暖冬cool夏 发送悄悄话 暖冬cool夏 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 09:19:33

So I'll have a chance ;-) Thx! Used 2 walk in neighbourhood -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 09:32:21

@night &Self-label as a street owl w/o knowing, LOL@self now -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 09:34:41

Owls r not generally considered the most intelligent birds -移花接木- 给 移花接木 发送悄悄话 移花接木 的博客首页 (188 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 10:00:03

really? which bird is the one? -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 10:10:24

Crow, Raven, Jay, some parrots r incredibly smart, hard 2 -移花接木- 给 移花接木 发送悄悄话 移花接木 的博客首页 (39 bytes) () 07/21/2025 postreply 10:26:43

Thanks! Owls have bad reps in Chinese culture. LOL -硅谷居士- 给 硅谷居士 发送悄悄话 硅谷居士 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/22/2025 postreply 08:55:21

Yes, culture difference can b amazing & humorous:-) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 07/22/2025 postreply 09:28:56

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