'Wisdom of the Ages' from incharacter

from incharacter:
Yet the basic questions are still the old, recurrent ones: What is wisdom? How can an individual be wise? How can a society be wise? Indeed, in some respects we return full circle to the words of Solomon. Fear is once again the beginning of wisdom, but now it is the fear of war, famine, pestilence, flood, and other man-made apocalypses.