Adieu, Renaissance Man

Leonardo da Vinci

Is there a common goal all men should strive for? The easy answer is obvious, and while I agree with the chorus of, “yes,” that I imagine is the reply, I differ in opinion on the specifics. Perhaps there is an alternative, or at very least a complement, to the beauty pageant answers.

As modern human beings we too often strive for complacency. We yearn for normalcy. We pant eagerly at dreams of homes and jobs, families and the night or two when inhibition is thrown to the wind and we indulge ourselves in alcohol and consequences.

We gear our lives toward the honing of one skill or set of skills. It is reflected in our lives, hobbies, jobs. Even in video games we see characters who are “by nature” more powerful when they focus on a single pathway of development. every subject has seemingly become so broad that we can only learn one or two. We have adages that support this mindset: i.e. “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Yet it has not always been so. Men were once raised with a higher standard. They spoke multiple languages; knew mathematics; sciences; literature; physical arts such as dancing and fighting; music: voice and instrument. It was these men who made history, formed the foundation of the world we live in today. There is a term for this type of person: Renaissance Man.

I propose that this is a goal worthy of all humanity, that we should all strive to be Renaissance in this sense. This is a goal, an effort of a lifetime. What better rememberance can there be than to have people look back and think: “He was a Renaissance Man.”

As I mentioned before, I believe this goal can complement other worthy goals such as world peace and other goods works such as the fights against poverty and hunger. I feel that to be renaissance will guide men to better choices and through education we can use knowledge to wage these battles in more succesful ways.

Imagine that these ideals are buildings, lofty ideals become palaces. But an edifice is built of bricks and each brick is a human being. One by one each brick is placed on the building and it begins to resemble its intended form. Yet without good quality materials, the building will never be finished and sometimes even a finished wall will fall if its structure is weak.

It is through intentional self-improvement that we will come to build a solid foundation for the world we wish to live in. Through a variety of media we can enlighten ourselves and use that enlightenment not to enlighten others, but to help them. Through academics we expand our minds; through dance, sports, and exercise we care for our bodies; through poetry, art, and music we enlighten our souls. There is always time to be found, even if it is only five minutes a day.

It is possible to attain sprezzatura in many things and with so many amazing things in our world to choose from we owe it to ourselves and every great ideals to achieve all we can to the best of our ability.

I, for one, will die a Renaissance Man.