Knowledge & Wisdom

Once upon a time, great sages would sit on mountain tops or in caves, contemplating the secrets of the universe. People would come to them seeking their advice, or to find out what knowledge they had acquired, what wisdom they could impart. Students needed a master scholar to gain the basic understanding of their world. Leaders needed guidance. People needed reassurance that answers were out there.
Eventually, some structure was put in place - the caves became artificial stone edifices that we now refer to as Universities. The scholars dress in a manner that is a little more socially acceptable, although their other manners may not have gone through that transformation. This state of affairs did us well for a very long time.
However, the times have changed. The new oracles of knowledge are machines which gather more information & knowledge quickly & easily & make it accessible to the masses with little sacrifice on their behalf. The scholars still delve into the unknown, but they are less likely to be consulted directly. They are networked into the consciousness of humanity.
With knowledge so easily available, it makes it too easy to forget that knowledge is useless without the wisdom to apply it appropriately. Ethics cannot be explained in a web page. It cannot be provided by a search of the internet. I needs someone who has already mastered the topic - gained wisdom - to share their experience.
To the modern mind, this seems to be a bit of a waste of effort - talking to actual people, etc, but it is still necessary. Just as time is still necessary to gain experience - for anything truly worthwhile, there are no short cuts.
The problem is that it takes wisdom to realise this in the first place, & that is something - a little bit of wisdom, enough to know how much you don't know - that is often severely lacking in the young & impatient. Self-reflection is a skill that is not natural, is not easy to learn, cannot be assumed, but is essential for personal growth.
Thus, with time & effort, we can achieve the wisdom we need to use the knowledge that we gain.