Let’s talk about two guys you know. (Don’t worry, we’re not surveilling you.) Because all of us know these two guys in some form or other. And together, they teach us something important about living a full life at this precise moment in our world.
One guy is at the cutting edge of everything. He’s always talking about the latest tech, restaurant, life hack, or podcast. He can tell you who the current thought leaders are. By the time you discover any of these for yourself, he’s already on to the next thing. He’s living fully in the present.
The second guy couldn’t be more different. Even before he opens his mouth, you can tell he’s not from this era. His clothing, tastes, and favorite things have been around for decades. He values history, tradition, and things that last. You might simply call him old school. He’s living fully in the past.
Both men, however, are unconnected to reality. One is tethered to the present; the other bound to the past. And if we’re honest, most of us are more like one of these men than we’d care to admit. With everything and everyone competing for our attention, we set filters to pick out what is helpful, true, and yes, preferable.
“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.” – Proverbs 18:15
One of the best filters – whatever kind of man you are – is wisdom. We’ve talked before about how to train our eyes to find it. As we continue to sharpen that focus, it’s worth looking at how our wisdom filters shape the men we’re becoming.
Two Types of Wisdom Every Man Can’t Live Without
Those two guys each understand something important about humanity. The first recognizes that we are living in a unique time and place, with circumstances our forefathers couldn’t have imagined. The second recognizes that we are facing the same fundamental challenges humans throughout history have met – and that we don’t need to repeat the mistakes of the past. Together, they remind us that wisdom flows from two equally important streams.
Timeless wisdom is insight that has proven true across centuries, cultures, and circumstances. If something has lasted hundreds or thousands of years, chances are there is value to be gleaned from it. The Bible, together with the writings of thinkers, philosophers, and teachers through the ages, continues to offer a clear picture of what it means to be alive and to live well.
Timely wisdom is insight that speaks to this specific season – for you, your community, or the world around you. It comes from people and sources with the uncommon ability to understand what’s happening in real time and offer perspectives that help us meet the moment. It often rhymes with timeless wisdom. If it contradicts, it’s probably not wisdom at all. At its best, timely wisdom offers fresh language to something ancient and true.
When we draw from both streams, we build a library that is rooted in history and applied to the present. The best sources often act as bridge figures – deeply anchored in ancient truth and translating it for the modern mind. But the real work comes in learning to connect the dots.
Think of it like hyperlinks. As you gain wisdom, you naturally begin finding connections between different principles and sources. You might read the Book of Proverbs, watch a video on leadership, listen to a podcast on how the brain works, and take counsel from a mentor. Wisdom moves between these separate containers – linking one idea to the next, forming your faith, your thinking, your actions, and your framework for life. A framework that is both deeply rooted and genuinely engaged with the real world.
Building Hyperlinks That Amount to More Than Knowledge
Imagine what might happen if those two guys combined forces. That man would have a deep well of understanding – drawing from the wisest sources of the past alongside the most useful sources of the present. He sees connections between what has been and what might be. He has a finely tuned filter for what’s worth his time and what isn’t. He’s neither overly nostalgic for another era nor overly reactive to every urgent demand of the moment. He hasn’t become this man overnight. He’s simply adopted a posture – curiosity, humility, and a genuine hunger for what might be true, now and always.
French writer Paul Valéry put it this way: “All great undertakings do not consist of doing again what others have done before, but in recapturing the spirit that went into what they did – and would have done differently in a different age.”
You can learn much from the people of the past and glean much from the innovators of the present. If you can listen to both – finding connections between them that apply directly to your life – you’ll be more than a smart guy, an old school guy, or a cutting edge guy.
You’ll be an integrated one.
BEFORE YOU GO (aka: the short version)
What is the difference between timeless and timely wisdom? Timeless wisdom is insight that has proven true across centuries, cultures, and circumstances – scripture, ancient philosophy, the great thinkers of the faith. Timely wisdom speaks to this specific season of life, offering fresh language and perspective for the moment you’re actually in. Both are essential. Neither is complete without the other.
How do I know if a source of wisdom is trustworthy? Does it rhyme with what has proven true over centuries, or does it contradict it? Timely wisdom worth trusting tends to echo timeless wisdom – it offers a new way of seeing something that has always been true. When a source consistently contradicts what has stood the test of time, it is probably opinion wearing wisdom’s clothing.
What does it mean to be an “integrated” man? An integrated man is one who has learned to draw connections between different sources of wisdom – ancient and current, sacred and practical – and apply them to his actual life. He doesn’t just collect good ideas. He links them, lives them, and lets them form the way he sees and moves through the world.
What is a good place to start building a timeless wisdom foundation? Start with one source and stay with it long enough for it to become familiar. Scripture is the most reliable anchor. From there, look for writers like C.S. Lewis, one of the most accessible bridge figures between ancient truth and modern life. Meaningful time with these will begin to change how you hear everything else.
