Backstage at Wisdom 2.0, we asked numerous people -- from wisdom teachers Jack Kornfield and Jon Kabat-Zinn, to Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Burning Man founder Larry Harvey -- the question: "What is wisdom?"

We routinely squander and neglect something we would hate to have taken from us, and would surely fight to prevent someone taking from our loved ones. It's certainly wisdom, it's just not yet conventional to acknowledge that health is wealth. Making it conventional is up to us.

I once had a friend who was so into instant gratification that in a restaurant, she sometimes ordered dessert first, so that she could fully enjoy it before she was full.

What does it mean to be wise? People with great wisdom are able to put events into perspective. Often, that means recognizing that the world never stays the same.

Is thinking about wisdom part of getting older? Lately, I've been wondering what wisdom is. Here's how my dictionary defines it, "Understanding what...