摘要：Wisdom includes the mysterious, chaotic, and even painful dimensions of life that help us grow.Spiritual practices open us beyond

Spiritual Strength Requires Wisdom

灵性力量需要智慧

Why real wisdom requires a touch of madness.

为什么真正的智慧需要一点疯狂。

Posted September 26, 2025 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D.

发布于 2025 年 9 月 26 日 | 由 Monica Vilhauer 博士审核。

Wisdom includes the mysterious, chaotic, and even painful dimensions of life that help us grow.Spiritual practices open us beyond ego. Rituals, meditation, and art connect us to meaning and resilience.Psychological well-being requires risk.

智慧包括帮助我们成长的神秘、混乱甚至痛苦的生活层面。精神修行让我们超越自我。仪式、冥想和艺术让我们获得意义和韧性。心理健康需要承担风险。

In uncertain times, people often talk about the need for “spiritual strength.”

在不确定的时期，人们常常谈论需要“精神力量”。

But what does this actually entail for our mental health and well-being? The main argument here is that spiritual strength is fundamentally about cultivating wisdom. From a psychological perspective, spirituality isn’t about dogma or belief; it is about developing the kind of wisdom necessary to face suffering without denial, accept uncertainty without despair, and discover meaning beyond the ego. Modern cognitive scientists, such as John Vervaeke, describe wisdom in two dimensions: moral (what serves the greater good, the long view) and cognitive (navigating complexity, managing strong emotions, and distinguishing the essential from the trivial). This framework is helpful but does not fully capture the essence of the main argument: that true wisdom involves more than rationality—it encompasses mysterious and unsettling dimensions as well. Giorgio Colli called wisdom “brutal” because it exceeds our grasp. Plato listed four types of divine madness—prophetic, mystical, poetic, erotic—that open us to something greater. Well-being comes not from control alone but from surrender, risk, and letting life surprise us.

但这究竟对我们的心理健康和幸福意味着什么呢？这里的主要论点是，精神力量的根本在于培养智慧。从心理学的角度来看，灵性并非教条或信仰，而是关乎培养一种必要的智慧，使人能够坦然面对苦难，坦然接受不确定性，并发现超越自我的意义。现代认知科学家，例如约翰·维尔瓦克，将智慧描述为两个维度：道德维度（服务于更大的利益和长远眼光）和认知维度（驾驭复杂性、管理强烈情绪以及区分本质和琐碎）。这个框架很有帮助，但并未完全抓住主要论点的本质：真正的智慧不仅仅包含理性，它还包含神秘而令人不安的维度。乔治奥·科利称智慧“残酷”，因为它超出了我们的理解范围。柏拉图列举了四种神圣的疯狂——预言、神秘、诗意、情色——它们将我们引向更伟大的事物。幸福不仅来自于掌控，还来自于臣服、冒险以及让生活带给我们惊喜。

The Wisdom of Madness

疯狂的智慧

Growth rarely comes from staying comfortable. We often learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. Even the worst decisions can mature us if we allow them to do so. Wisdom requires not only order and harmony, but also a small dose of chaos and risk—what Nietzsche saw in the god Dionysus, who stood beside Apollo’s calm rationality. In practice, well-being is found not just in control, but in surrender—allowing ourselves to be surprised and vulnerable. Anyone moved to tears by art, music, or love knows this truth: these are not "rational" experiences but moments of being opened by life. Western philosophy often traces its roots to reason and rationality, but it also owes a deep debt to mystery. The oracles of ancient Greece spoke words that could not be controlled, only interpreted. Their wisdom was ambiguous, open-ended, and often unsettling. Our modern traditions of wisdom, spirituality, and even psychology carry this inheritance. Wisdom is not just knowledge or self-help strategies—it is also the willingness to encounter the unknown. When spirituality is reduced to moralism, cultural identity, or political mobilization, we lose this deeper dimension of wisdom. Without this, our psychological growth becomes thin. The central claim is that true spirituality is not merely about appearing good or virtuous; it is about becoming capable of profound transformation through wisdom.

成长很少源于安于现状。我们从错误中学习的往往比从成功中学到的更多。即使是最糟糕的决定，如果我们能够接纳，也能让我们成熟。智慧不仅需要秩序与和谐，也需要适度的混乱与冒险——尼采在酒神狄俄尼索斯身上看到了这一点，他与阿波罗的冷静理性并存。在实践中，幸福不仅在于掌控，更在于臣服——允许自己感到惊喜和脆弱。任何被艺术、音乐或爱情感动落泪的人都知道这个道理：这些并非“理性”的体验，而是被生命打开的瞬间。西方哲学的根源通常源于理性和理性，但也深深地受益于神秘。古希腊神谕的话语无法被掌控，只能被解读。他们的智慧模棱两可、开放无界，而且常常令人不安。我们现代的智慧、灵性甚至心理学传统都传承着这种传承。智慧不仅仅是知识或自助策略，它更是勇于面对未知的意愿。当灵性被简化为道德主义、文化认同或政治动员时，我们便失去了智慧的更深层次。没有了它，我们的心理成长就会变得单薄。核心主张是，真正的灵性不仅仅是外表善良或有德行；而是能够通过智慧实现深刻的转变。

Spirituality as Practice

灵性实践

This is why spirituality cannot be reduced to a “for or against” stance on religion. It is not about defending Christianity, Buddhism, or any system. It is about practices that open us: prayer, meditation, ritual, art, dance, and even something as simple as doing push-ups every morning to become aware of our body’s strength and energy. Spiritual practices remind us that we are not the center of the universe. They shift our attention away from ego and open us to connection—with others, the world, and life itself. This can lead to greater resilience, reduced anxiety, increased compassion, and a deeper sense of meaning. Spirit is like life itself: fragile and beautiful, but also obscure, ambiguous, and provocative. A butterfly cannot fly unless it risks losing the fine dust on its wings. Likewise, we cannot truly live without risk, vulnerability, and change. This is why real spiritual development cannot be weaponized. It is not about building defenses or mobilizing for conflict. It is about cultivating the courage to let life touch us, even when it hurts.

正因如此，灵性不能被简化为对宗教的“支持或反对”立场。它并非捍卫基督教、佛教或任何体系，而是关乎那些能够开启我们心灵的实践：祈祷、冥想、仪式、艺术、舞蹈，甚至像每天早上做俯卧撑这样简单的练习，都能让我们感受到身体的力量和能量。灵性修行提醒我们，我们并非宇宙的中心。它们将我们的注意力从自我转移，并让我们敞开心扉，与他人、与世界、与生命本身建立联系。这可以提升我们的韧性，减少焦虑，增强同情心，并赋予我们更深刻的意义感。灵性如同生命本身：脆弱而美丽，却又晦涩难懂、模棱两可且充满挑战。蝴蝶若不冒着失去翅膀上细小粉尘的风险，就无法飞翔。同样，我们也无法真正地生活在没有风险、脆弱和变化的环境中。正因如此，真正的灵性发展不能被武器化。它并非构建防御机制或动员冲突，而是培养勇气，让生活触动我们，即使它会带来痛苦。

Wisdom Today

今日智慧

The wisdom we need today is not just cognitive clarity or moral responsibility; it is also the ability to see beyond our own perspectives. The main argument is that true spiritual strength depends on our capacity to embrace pain, ecstasy, and even madness—without losing sight of love as the highest purpose. Psychological well-being is not achieved by escaping suffering but by integrating it. Spiritual strength helps us do exactly that. It teaches us to face the unknown, to accept our limitations, and to let ourselves be changed. On Delphi’s temple walls is written: “Know thyself,” or know your limits. Apollo symbolized order, while Dionysus represented chaos. They were companions, not opposites. We learn by taking risks and exploring the unknown. This is the paradox at the heart of wisdom: clarity and madness must coexist. From this tension, true spiritual strength and psychological well-being arise—a strength born not from certainty, but from our willingness to be transformed.

我们今天所需要的智慧不仅仅是认知上的清晰或道德责任，更是超越自身视角的能力。主要论点是，真正的精神力量取决于我们拥抱痛苦、狂喜甚至疯狂的能力——同时不忘记爱是最高目的。心理健康并非通过逃避痛苦来实现，而是通过融入痛苦来实现。精神力量正是帮助我们做到这一点。它教会我们面对未知，接受自身的局限性，并允许自己改变。德尔斐神庙的墙壁上写着：“认识你自己”，或者说，了解你的极限。阿波罗象征着秩序，而狄俄尼索斯则代表着混乱。他们是同伴，而非对立面。我们通过冒险和探索未知来学习。这就是智慧核心的悖论：清晰与疯狂必须共存。正是在这种张力中，真正的精神力量和心理健康诞生了——这种力量并非源于确定性，而是源于我们渴望改变的意愿。

来源：左右图史