David, you've hit on something very interesting here, and it's actually something that's been on my mind a lot lately -- coincidentally, around this newsletter too. I'm fascinated with the concept of the renaissance person b/c that's how Jefferson, Franklin, et al lived their lives -- they had many passions, many interests, and they purs…
David, you've hit on something very interesting here, and it's actually something that's been on my mind a lot lately -- coincidentally, around this newsletter too. I'm fascinated with the concept of the renaissance person b/c that's how Jefferson, Franklin, et al lived their lives -- they had many passions, many interests, and they pursued them all. But we in the 21st century live in an age of specialization, and it can be a real straightjacket. I think I may want to write about this...
I think our fascination with specialization begins early in life. We tend to ask children the wrong question - “what do you want to be when you grow up?” They always answer specifically, like baseball player, princess, dog trainer, etc. The tougher question, and one they won’t be able to start to answer probably until their mid-teens, is “who do you want to be when you grow up?” Too often we define ourselves by what we do for a living as opposed to how we want to live.
David, you've hit on something very interesting here, and it's actually something that's been on my mind a lot lately -- coincidentally, around this newsletter too. I'm fascinated with the concept of the renaissance person b/c that's how Jefferson, Franklin, et al lived their lives -- they had many passions, many interests, and they pursued them all. But we in the 21st century live in an age of specialization, and it can be a real straightjacket. I think I may want to write about this...
I think our fascination with specialization begins early in life. We tend to ask children the wrong question - “what do you want to be when you grow up?” They always answer specifically, like baseball player, princess, dog trainer, etc. The tougher question, and one they won’t be able to start to answer probably until their mid-teens, is “who do you want to be when you grow up?” Too often we define ourselves by what we do for a living as opposed to how we want to live.