As a sort of response to this video, this post is exemplifying the traits of the renaissance man (renaissance person). Throughout this post I will be more geared towards the male dynamic, as that is what I am privy to knowing best. You can apply this knowledge or lessons to other genders of course, but in the context of this post it is for men in particular.
Being something of a renaissance man, is rather what being a "Complete Man" is to Purdeep Sangha the author of the book of the same name. As well as, one of the hosts in the video podcast above. I had the pleasure of interviewing him on the PolyCast, and when I saw this video this Summer I immediately saved it because I knew it would fit here on the OmniBlog.
"Men used to know how to do basically anything, and they were actually GOOD at it."
Me and Purdeep share a hero in one of the most renown renaissance polymaths, the great inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. Someone who exemplifies the very essence of polymathy.
The idea of the complete man is to live more diverse lives, and doing more things to achieve that complete-hood/complete-ness.
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
Why you should be someone of many skills
Being someone who is up to speed on a lot of things allows you to converse with all sorts of different people. Not only are YOU more interesting of a man to speak to, but you are able to talk with all sorts of other people as well.
"Being able to do things OUTSIDE of your occupation."
Through the functionality of one skill, it can lead you to being great at other skills. Since Da Vinci was such a great inventor it taught him better ways of painting, it taught him how to see the world in different ways. Not to mention vice versa, it feeds that curiosity that is the lifeblood of being human. Without curiosity what are we? Just simple husks living out our days, not learning, not exploring, and not doing new things.
The more curious you are, the more skills you collect, and the more they compound into a more complete version of yourself.
How did the people of the Renaissance become a Polymath?
Since the people of the time were already living in a period where the freedom of expression, being curious (to a degree) was encouraged, and people flourished under the success of the community. There were a plethora of opportunities to do new things.
We are living in a similar time I would say in the age of the internet. We are able to explore new things at a scale never before seen.
Becoming a modern renaissance man is the same concept as becoming the complete man. It is fulfilling each aspect of your existence to the fullest it can be, and reaching wide into new areas of knowledge.
A Couple posts to learn from about these terms:
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
What is the Complete man?
Using frameworks to achieve a greater level of potential in the course of your life. You CAN do great things, and be an even greater man. Only if you strive to be complete in all of the areas of your life.
Being able to think in more than one way.
To learn more check out the book, and all of his work in multiple content formats!
