ONEstereotypeofwisdomisawizenedZen-mastersmilingbenevolentlyattheanticsofhispupils,whilereferringtothemaslittlegrasshoppersorsomesuchaffectation,safeintheknowledgethatonedaythey,too,willhavebeensetonthepaththatleadstowizenedmasterhood.Butisittruethatagebringswisdom?AstudytwoyearsagoinNorthAmerica,byIgorGrossmannoftheUniversityofWaterloo,inCanada,suggestedthatitis.Inasmuchasitispossibletoquantifywisdom,DrGrossmannfoundthatelderlyAmericanshadmoreofitthanyoungsters.Hehas,however,nowextendedhisinvestigationtoAsia—thelandofthewizenedZen-master—and,inparticular,toJapan.There,hefound,incontrasttotheWest,thatthegrasshoppersaretheirmasters’equalsalmostfromthebeginning.