Fearless Philosophical 10 Year Old Accurately Defines Wisdom

by Tricia
(Eastport, ME, USA)

My ten year old sometimes tends to view people and events from a unique perspective and I am constantly finding wisdom from his view of the world.

Usually, after he goes to bed, I participate on an online philosophy question and answer site for a little while before going to bed. One night, while reviewing the questions of the day concerning basic philosophical questions, I suddenly heard a loud THUMP from my son's bedroom.

Concerned, I decided to go check on him. My son is not a still sleeper and had obviously "fallen" out of bed, (or so I thought). Since the flooring in his room consists of ceramic tiling that can get cold at night, I began lifting him up to place him back in bed. When he gave a startled response, I told him that he had fallen out of bed and could not sleep on the floor.

He replied to me, "I didn't fall, I jumped!”

Another time, my son was telling me that while he was definitely smarter than his uncle, his aunt was equally intelligent to him. Curiously, I couldn't help myself from asking how he decided this.

He told me he was smarter than his uncle because his uncle "didn't even know the date Pearl Harbor was attacked"; However, he told me that his aunt was just as smart as he is "because she acts like a kid".

Apparently, while knowing important dates may make you sound smart, signs of intelligence also include acting like a kid.