Renaissance Man
What happened to the concept of the Renaissance Man? If you don’t know the term, the Renaissance Man is one who seeks constant self-improvement for the sake of bettering one’s self. By definition, it is a man (woman) who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences. The Renaissance Man strives for physical improvement, as well as intellectual improvement. The RM reads literature for the sake of expanding knowledge, travels to become cultured, and networks to become better connected to society and humanity in general.
We live in a time and place where it has never been easier to become a Renaissance Man, yet I witness and meet very few. The internet provides us with all the information and knowledge we could ever need. As Americans, we have access to knowledge, to the arts and sciences, and to religion which is UNPRECEDENTED in the history of Mankind. We have the ability to connect to virtually anyone or any social group with a computer. We can pursue any endeavor we wish. Yet, we don’t. Americans rank inexplicably low globally in Math and Science testing. The arts are virtually non-existent to outsiders, and are among the first things eliminated in budget cuts. The economy is stagnant. The gap between social classes is growing. Poverty, repeat criminals, hunger and homelessness…these continue to be huge social issues.
So I go back to the question; why? What happened to the Renaissance Man. Why aren’t there more great thinkers. Why aren’t more well-rounded individuals thinking and dealing with social issues? As a collective, why don’t Americans seek to become more cultured, or improve their intellect for the sake of self-improvement? With all of our advances and easy access to knowledge, arts, and science, why aren’t Renaissance Men the norm. If there are Renaissance Men, why are they not more prevalent?
This has been on my mind lately. I’ve thought about many social circumstances that may be involved in this “lack of advance” in our society. Is is that we, as Americans, have SUCH easy access to all of these things, that we have become lackadaisical? Are we too inundated with information that we experience overload and exhaustion? Is it a fundamental problem with our education system in America? Have ignorance, laziness, and lack of culture been modeled for us? (ie. Jersey Shore, Springer, Repo Games, etc).
I’m sure all of the aformentioned have a hand in the lack of Renaissance Men. However, the one root cause that I have discovered when analyzing our current society is the unabashed pursuit of money. I have found that in many instances, the pursuit of money has become paramount in new endeavors, in new inventions, in the choice of career-path. Think about it…how many of us chose our education path based on how much money we could make in a given field? In general, it seems as though the pursuit of money is paramount in people’s lives. Over time it has certainly been ingrained in our culture. Turn on the TV, read your favorite magazine, look at pop culture from a distance. At the root of much of it is money. Our culture is about buying stuff, owning stuff, wanting other people’s stuff, becoming wealthy, not becoming poor.
OK, let me backtrack a little, and preface the next paragraph by saying I believe thoroughly in the capitalist system. It’s not perfect, but it has allowed the U.S. to achieve it’s status in the world for a reason. Capitalism drives and allows for innovation and creativity in the marketplace, in science, and in the artworld. Period. No other financial or social system is as efficient in doing so.
However, the pursuit of money for the sake of having money is an empty venture. Money, itself, is vacuous. Certainly, money can enable one to continue becoming a Renaissance Man. However, money itself does not lead to the self-improvement I am talking about here.
The previous point leads me to my next point. Why become a Renaissance Man in the first place? Why seek knowledge and depth in science and art? What purpose does it serve. The answer is simple; to live life to its fullest. I don’t pretend to know the true meaning of life. However, the best conclusion that I can come up with is that we are (#1) meant to explore and be actively involved in the richness of the human experience, and (#2) use the experiences, talents, and knowledge we have gained to positively impact and shape our fellow man. In short, when this life is over, it is only our legacy that matters.
So, if this is true, how can one experience the fullness of life God intended without becoming a Renaissance Man? My concern…why I am writing this….is that I see so much potential and so many opportunities in the United States that are being squandered. We have EVERY opportunity in this country to positively affect EVERY aspect of life. Can you imagine the advances we could achieve? Can you imagine if everyone lived to their potential? Can you imagine if we all chose our paths based on our interests and talents rather than based on potential earnings? Imagine if we all used the resources available to us to constantly self-improve, for all of us to use that new found knowledge to start businesses, invent new products and ways of thinking, to pass on our love of art to other generations. The positive momentum that we could build…………