English Version | Editor's Letter: The Wisdom Issue, September 2025

Wisdom is something that is built over the course of a lifetime, with each step, with each mistake, with each success... It is the weight of accumulated time, a light weight on the soul of those who have learned to listen to the silence between words, to perceive what is not said, but felt. It’s in the day after day after day that wisdom takes shape, without rushing, because it knows that time is an ally. Each scar, each wrinkle, each line that is drawn on the face of those who live with an attentive and curious gaze, is a reflection of this silent wisdom, which is not displayed but surrendered little by little, like a river that finds its way, without haste, without resistance.

Simone de Oliveira
Branislav Simoncik

Wisdom is transmitted through hands that touch with care, in a gaze that penetrates without judgment, in words spoken at the right time and that echo beyond the moment. It is not achieved simply by accumulating knowledge, but by knowing what to do with it. Wisdom is not static; it grows, adapts, reinvents itself... an essence of the human being, shaped by patience, humility, the ability to listen and learn, to respect time, and to embrace what life (always) has to teach. And that is why knowledge is also something that is passed on, inherited, shared... it does not die with someone; it perpetuates, traveling on the wind of stories told, in traditions that span generations, in the collective memory that should never be erased. The truly wise are those who know that what they carry within is not only theirs, but is part of something greater that transcends them. It carries not only its own experiences, but the lessons of the world, the stories of all those who came before and left a piece of wisdom, whether in the form of a word, a gesture, or a silence. Wisdom is the invisible thread that unites the past, the present, and the future, not in a straight line, but in a web of connections that stretches across time and generations.

Carla Pereira
Alejandro Arrias & David Bravo

Respect, this virtue that should be the foundation of human relationships, seems to be disappearing, or at least being distortedly reinterpreted. Respect for age, for the experience accumulated over the years, is a rarity today. Modern society, fast-paced and obsessed with innovation, seems to look with less appreciation on those who have lived longer, who have witnessed and participated in the construction of the world as we know it. The elderly, who were once living libraries of wisdom, are often marginalized, as if their knowledge were already obsolete or unnecessary in a world that considers itself advanced and technological.

Alessandra Ferri
Kosmas Pavlos

History, this thread that connects us to the past and provides us with context for the future, also suffers the weight of oblivion. Old narratives, the lessons of mistakes made and victories achieved, are no longer as valued. Increasingly, it seems we live in a present that has no memory, a present that moves at a frenetic speed, without taking the time to stop, reflect, and learn from the steps taken. As if the only time that mattered was now, as if the past were just a distant, irrelevant shadow. We distance ourselves from the truth of human experience, preferring to ignore what has already been lived, perhaps afraid to confront our own imperfections.

Simone de Oliveira - E-shop Exclusive
Branislav Simoncik

This issue, which celebrates wisdom, is above all a tribute to time and the sharing of experiences lived in its passage, an invitation to listen again to what "modern" times tend to silence and consign to oblivion. Listening to older generations is, in fact, an act of profound respect and love. It is recognizing that their time, with all its experiences, is a legacy that deserves to be preserved, understood, and passed on. I regret all the questions I failed to ask my parents, who are no longer alive in this world. Often, it is the small stories of everyday life, the simple but profound accounts of moments lived, that contain the greatest lessons. It’s not just great deeds or achievements that make us wiser, but the understanding of the little things, the gestures of care, the sacrifices made in silence. These stories, these memories, are the true essence of who we are and where we come from.

Translated from the original in The Wisdom Issue, published September 2025. For full stories and credits, see the print issue.