Wisdom as a Virtue

“Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”

by Miles Kington

There is a component of wisdom that is about understanding the best response in a given situation. It’s also about knowing the best way to engage with a situation. The quote above neglects to realize that there are recipes for fruit salad that include tomatoes. 

Wisdom is more than common sense. It’s also an awareness of self and of the situation. The quote above shares that it takes knowledge to know that a tomato is actually a fruit, not a vegetable. (It has to do with the part of the plant that grows to create the tomato.) However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t put a tomato in a fruit salad – you just have to consider what makes sense.

Most people consider tomatoes to be a vegetable, and they are mostly used in savory applications. But just because a tomato is usually savory doesn’t mean that it can’t also be in something sweet. We see chocolate used in savory dishes when it usually used in sweet dishes, so why not tomatoes in sweet recipes?  

Looking at wisdom as a virtue drives us to understand ourselves better. It also encourages us toward critical thinking and discernment. Wisdom helps us to navigate the world and helps us to avoid making poor choices.

So grab that tomato, and decide what you want to do with it.