Knowledge is the means. Wisdom is the direction. Happiness is the end.

Wisdom is ultimately more valuable than knowledge: It doesn't matter how fast you are running if you are pointed in the wrong direction.

The greatest wisdom on earth is this:

Do not concern yourself with the things you cannot change.

Implicit in this statement is another great wisdom:

The foundation of happiness is acceptance of what is.

This fundamental wisdom can be found repeated by philosophers throughout history:

"Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle. Some things are within your control. And some things are not." --Epictetus

"Accept the things to which fate binds you." --Marcus Aurelius

"My formula for human greatness is amor fati (love of fate): that one wants nothing to be different, not in the future, not in the past, not for all eternity. Not only endure what is necessary, still less conceal it, but love it." --Friedrich Nietzsche

"The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world." --The Buddha

"O God, give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other." --Reinhold Niebuhr

Incidentally, it is also one of the primary tenets of TRP philosophy, and can be found in many of our common phrases (eg. "Don't hate fish for swimming.")

Now, imagine a man saying to himself, "Women don't find me attractive. I will learn to accept that, because it's just the way it is." WRONG! There are steps you can take. You can lift, you can change how you socialize, and so on. Acceptance is incorrect in this situation because it is within your power to change the situation. On the other end of the spectrum, imagine a man saying "Female hypergamy is bullshit and we need to do something about it!" Wrong again. Hypergamy is human nature, and it is not in your power to change human nature. Rejecting that reality is only going to bring frustration.

It can undoubtedly be difficult to accurately assess when we have the power to change things and when we don't. If you estimate too low, you are a defeatist and a coward, and will not achieve your full potential. If you estimate too high, you are naive and reckless, and will squander your time and energy.

Many of the divisions splitting TRP are precisely defined by differing opinions of what it is within our power to change. The recent arguments by OmLaLa and mooservice here illustrate this difference. The division between TRP and MRAs is another example, with some arguing we cannot change culture and society and MRAs arguing we can. Same goes for the Law 38 debate: Should we accept the feminist narratives because they are too entrenched, or should we buck them because they are fragile and will fall away?

These questions are not clear cut and it is up to each of us individually to decide these issues for ourselves. It is important to constantly reassess your own thoughts and behavior in light of the wisdom above. Are you fighting the things you cannot change? Or are you too complacent and not taking enough action? Find the right balance, the middle way.