The poem is by William Butler Yates. It's called After Long Silence. He says, bodily decrepitude is wisdom. Young. We loved each other. And we're ignorant. The middle of it has this word discount. You can't be wise until you've lifted your eyes off the ground.
Psychologist and writer Adam Mastroianni says our minds are like the keep of a castle protecting our deepest held values and beliefs from even the most skilled attacks. The only problem with this design for self-preservation is that it also can keep out wisdom that might be both useful and true. Mastroianni's summary of the problem is "you can't reach the brain through the ears." Listen as Mastroianni talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the implication of this view of mind for teaching, learning, and our daily interactions with the people around us.