Five Lessons on Wisdom: Power, Freedom, and Human Nature in the Panchatantra

by Davide Smith Borrelli, Marella Reitani

What happens when the desire for justice blinds us to reality?

In an age where freedom is widely assumed but rarely examined, Five Lessons on Wisdom offers a quiet but incisive reflection on the fragile relationship between power, responsibility, and human nature. This book does not begin with political systems, but with individuals—their illusions, their fears, and their choices.
Drawing on the literary world of Milan Kundera, it explores how modern individuals respond to uncertainty, disillusionment, and the temptation to retreat into comforting narratives. The result is a subtle diagnosis of a recurring condition: the gradual erosion of freedom not through force, but through passivity.
Against this backdrop, the book turns to the ancient wisdom of the Panchatantra, a tradition that approaches knowledge not as abstraction, but as a guide to action. These stories, shaped by centuries of transmission, offer a different perspective—one grounded in prudence, responsibility, and the ability to navigate a complex and often deceptive world.
Moving between literature, history, and philosophy, Five Lessons on Wisdom reflects on the dangers of ideological thinking, the seduction of collective illusions, and the enduring difficulty of acting with clarity and responsibility. It does not offer easy answers. Instead, it invites the reader to reconsider what it means to take freedom seriously—both as a condition and as a personal burden.

Genres: Philosophy

79 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2026

About the author

Davide Borrelli is a writer specializing in the critical analysis of ideologies and social structures. With extensive experience and a deep passion for philosophical thought, Davide offers reflections that challenge conventions and stimulate debate.

Reviews

[Dr. Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is difficult to imagine a life without a political and social dimension”. The above is obvious once it is spelled out for you by the author, but not necessary something we are all conscious off on a daily basis.
Davide makes thorough and deep analysis of two prevailing systems in which humanity organizes itself socially, and had done- for millennia; his critical analysis is masterly and erudite, with historical references a plenty, starting from ancient Greece, and touching up on the struggles of Eastern European countries, Italy, USA and some others.
Two extremes of societal structure are those of Authoritarianism and Democracy; with the former, individual’s freedom is significantly restricted; the latter affords an individual significant freedom.

According to the author, authoritarian regimes legitimacy is founded on the order and coherence of the system, designed by, and in order to privilege “coarse men ravenous for power” . The system is then presented as a “guarantee of collective wellbeing, even when this translates into the suffering of individuals”.
As for democracy, it is “founded on belief that sovereignty belongs to all, laws are approved by the general assembly of citizens and cannot privilege anyone. Every individual has the right to choose how to live, to follow their own creativity and instinct”.
The book made me wonder what are the possible strengths and weaknesses of each system?
One of the possible reasons that authoritarian regimes persist is that it is comforting for human psyche “ to know what to do”, and the system makes it clear.
One of the possible weaknesses of democracy is that it might be unsettling for human psyche “to not know what to do”; and because there is no system that details all, individuals are faced with needing to make all their life choices for themselves, and find the meaning of life itself, singlehandedly, too. In our search for meaning, we are at risk of being influenced by manipulation- via various media, for instance; and/or, at risk from within ourselves- the risk of adopting “authoritarian thinking”, whereby we convince ourselves that our opinions are beyond dispute and that we know perfectly well what is best not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

When an individual is dissatisfied with life, he tends to act in one of few predictable ways; apparently there could be just four. The author draws parallel from the famous work by Milane Kundera, where the characters display “naïve narcissism of idealism; flight from feeling, surrender to lightness, the desperate search for a deep truth”. What all of the above have in common, according to Davide, is that “ none of them truly tries to change the external world: each, in his or her own way, ends up submitting to it”.
What might be a better way to behave – according to author , is “live in the world, adapting to it or, when possible, changing it”; this is the wisdom that is possibly his own, plus , he does offer a parallel from some famous Indian folklore (Panchatantra).
So, how exactly does one behave in “Panchantantra way”? Davide spells it out for us:
on a societal level, “honest public debate and an independent information industry are the best antidotes to avoid manipulation”;
on an individual level, we need to act from a position of wisdom, which is the level up from merely having knowledge, for wisdom allows us to “foresee the consequences of our actions and accept their limits”.

Overall, the book feels quite light and even entertaining, which is surely unusual for the subject matter that could be regarded as very serious and even grave. I especially enjoyed some deliberations on human behaviour and human nature, for instance, the phenomena of “compassion” ; “ lightness”; “ resilience”.
Davide shares that origin of the word compassion is different in Western and Eastern European languages. With the former, to share another’s suffering—to feel pity—implies a certain sense of superiority in those who pity. With the latter, by contrast, to feel the same emotion is to share deeply in the reasons for that suffering. Accordingly, many Eastern European people who relocated to live the Western world, have experienced “ an
ostentatious and hypocritical compassion of morally self satisfied intellectuals”, and this resonated as true for me.

“Going with the flow” is a well known modern phenomenon; Davide seems to describe the same whilst he uses different words- an attitude of lightness, which he defines as “ hoping to find peace in the rejection of reality”, which, in author’s opinion, is not the best frame of mind, for we have to accept reality and learn to live within.
“Resilience— the capacity to adapt to adversity and reorganize oneself in response to change” is defined by Davide as “useful, but often insufficient, as it risks turning into resignation before an unchangeable fate”. I felt this is so wise, and it really made me reconsider the virtue of resilience.
The book makes you wonder: once you’ve felt compassion in its deepest form of “sharing someone’s pain origins”, what will you do about it? Will you attempt some formidable actions, exercise resilience, feel so overwhelmed that you’ll just give up and go with the flow, or something else?
The author answers with Reinhold Niebuhr quote:
“the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”, for they “ capture precisely the balance between will, possibility, and necessity; only when human will is in equilibrium with its limits—and with those imposed by reality—can lightness be achieved”. This desirable type of lightness is defined by author as " freedom combined with responsibility".

I am not quite agreeing with Davide when he states that “ greed is one of the fundamental traits of human nature”; in my opinion, greed originates from emotional pain, and it would be great if he would consider the latter as one of human phenomena to explore in his next book. I also would have liked a brief summary at the beginning of each of “ five lessons” chapters, so that the essence of each lesson is obvious straight away for a reader; this particular reader had to read the book twice to really grasp the lessons- but may be its just me 😊
Overall, a fantastic book, and I am so glad that Davide wrote it and shared it with us 😊

[Macqueron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derrière un titre de livre de développement personnel se cache en fait un livre de réflexion sur l’autoritarisme et le besoin constant de défendre la démocratie. S’appuyant sur l’insouptonnable légèreté de l’être de Kundera (que je n’ai pas lu) et sur des contes issus d’un livre d’instruction indien (le panchatantra), l’auteur nous met face à nos contradictions, nos compromissions avec l’autoritarisme ou notre résilience menant intrinsèquement à l’accepter, notre hypocrisie dans la défense de façade sans action, etc.
Outre les sources littéraires, il y est beaucoup question des Khmers rouges, du joug anciennement imposé au bloc de l’est, du fascisme italien, etc. Mais bien sûr c’est de notre société et du danger qui nous guette qu’il s’agit. (tout parallèle avec le monde du travail dans certains grands groupes pourrait aussi être pertinent)
C’est érudit mais accessible. J’ai pas mal pensé à Umberto Eco (au sujet duquel l’auteur trouve pourtant à redire). La conclusion mettant en regard liberté individuelle et responsabilité collective (et in fine responsabilité individuelle à maintenir la liberté collective) m’a semblé très éclairante

[John Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I thought it was going to be about something entirely different. I have been reading books on spiritual subjects, and thought it was about wisdom you get from being spiritual.

If you are looking for a spiritual read, The Five Lessons on Wisdom is not that.

Instead the book is an interesting analysis of the nature of democracy versus authoritarian regimes, and how they affect individuals, and how individuals can affect their political systems.

As advertised, the book uses Milan Kundera’s The Incredible Lightness of Being and the Panchitantra as models, or forms that represent how people respond to their political systems.
“The Unbearable Lightness of Being interweaves the story of four people whose lives, directly or indirectly, were overwhelmed by the Prague Spring. Each of them embodies a fragment of Kundera’s experience and represents, in some way, a part of us. Their lives show different ways of reacting to a world that does not satisfy us: Franz embodies the naïve narcissism of idealism, Sabina embodies a flight from feeling, Tomáš embodies an almost cynical surrender to lightness, and Tereza embodies the desperate search for a deep truth.”

All of these characters were engaged in what the author calls modern forms of passivity, which may or may not be the best response to authoritarian government.

Living in a “democracy,” I am blind to the extent of our good fortune… the author describes it really well:

“Pericles celebrates democracy not only for its characteristics, but also for its effects on individual life. Every individual has the right to choose how to live, to follow their own creativity and instinct. The city is open to exchange, it cultivates knowledge, and wealth flourishes.”

And more… “Wealth is not valued as an end in itself, but as an instrument that allows one to act freely without becoming enslaved by the obsession with survival. Poverty, for this reason, is not condemned; what is condemned is the man who does nothing to escape it.”

The book points out some threats to democracy. Passivity and blind idealism are two that come to mind.

I am not a guy who thinks deeply about these things, so I am probably not a good reviewer. But it seems to me that the book would benefit by giving readers examples of how to combat the slide of democracy in our own societies.

This is a good book by a good writer and thinker.

It is a book for people who think about society, our governments and change.

[sureshot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly intellectual book. The author moves between discussing history, philosophy and literature and how these things interrelate. Most readers will find this book difficult to follow. The writing is brilliant, but the audience is small. I would think this book would be good for someone at a graduate level in history, philosophy or literature. A general audience is likely to find it a tedious read. That being said, it's a good book for the right audience.

[Garima Bais · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book expecting something philosophical but this book surprised me. Rather than telling readers what to think it asks them questions which are easy to overlook. One of the things I truly appreciated was that the author brings together various sources of wisdom.
The portion on panchtantra offers lessons on life, human behavior and judgement. The writing is thoughtful but dont read it in a rush as you won't be able to relish it.

[Nora S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful reminder of the history and the courage, bravery and resilience put in by people who fought for the cause. Loved the quote “A man who has once perceived, however temporarily and however briefly, what makes greatness of soul, can no longer be happy if he allows himself to be petty, self-seeking, troubled by trivial misfortunes, dreading what fate may have in store for him.”

[Jenny Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book sets out some fascinating principles, thoughts, and actions. The underlying examples throughout the book make for interesting reading. It is not a book I would have normally picked up to read; however; it was recommended and I am glad that I read it.