Man a tool?
Where does man stand in the overall scheme of things?
We are all brought up accepting that a man can only achieve one thing to a level of expertise. When he attempts more than that, he betrays the weakness of usefulness. Man is not perfect and must not struggle against fate. He may have various inclinations and aspirations but he must only select one if he hopes to succeed. He may have a passion to learn several instruments, but he must disregard those multiple urges and work on learning one instrument alone and do his best on it. It is then he can solely focus till he achieves perfection.
Have you ever seen a perfect man? Someone who has the perfect look, life, stability, knowledge, resourcefulness, it’s impossible to be true? A perfect man is so rare he may be looked upon with suspicion once he materializes. No one can be that perfect. What is his background? Where did he come from? His parents? Where did he study? Etc. Even the wise renaissance man had their quirks, so who would say there is such a perfect being.
If a man deals vigorously with affairs and does not give a damn about art, religion or science, for others to enjoy, he is perceived as a strong, sound, wise and a normal individual. But if a man has the knowledge, love and skill for storytelling, he is perfectly honest and trustworthy, genuinely religious and observant of everything, has a good impression on science as well, he is supposed as a superficial individual.
A man in business often turns a deaf ear on art. If he writes prose, he must not permit his love for verse to overshadow poetry. If he uses pen, he must not use his voice. If he attempts to learn two languages (excluding his native tongue) at the same time, he would only be confused in communicating. Sometimes, man is confused that despite the vitality of mind and inspiration he feels, it seems there is an unknown force compelling him to do only one thing. As if man does not have the right to explore everything he wants.
Specialization had become a focus of today’s modern society. Man today goes to college to master one field of knowledge. If he did not enter or complete his education, his initial job would entail him to focus on a set of tasks, thus learning one profession, step-by-step, and in the long run may earn him a position in that same path of career.
It is a though, what if Michelangelo came among us, he would be forced to repress his energy or he may face great suspicion from society. Others may be awed but may feel weird to see a man excel in painting, sculpture, architecture, and sonnet-writing. Others may find it unfair for one individual to possess so many abilities and excel in each one since majority can’t. It may be called jealousy but it may also take in the suspicion that he was not playing life fairly.
The world has a lot of sphere. Religion, science, morals, technology, and art. There have a life of their own, no tangible evidence of easy contact. The society had created boundaries on each sphere, limiting man to its boundaries, exploration, an option but not a promising career. If an artist touches on a very sensitive subject of religion or emotion, his career can be placed in jeopardy. If a scholar discovers a classic, focuses, translates, and falls in love with its content, he may not easily avail his academic scholarship. A religious teacher may become the master of the principles of his faith, but he has to be very careful applying them on industrial or social conditions of the society, or he may be warned working on the responsibility of the government. An artist must not care much on truth, but rather appreciate and compliment beauty at its best with all his skill and strength.
It seemed that one philosophy summarizes everything: One tool is equal to one man.
In some cases, because society has depicted certain norms on where man could possibly be successful (e.g. business, engineering, doctor, lawyer etc.), this leads him to walk into an unknown territory, wherein he has no knowledge and power, since his initial forte had been the arts. It is with great requirement that intense concentration become a part of his life, forgetting his vitality on what he really wanted.
Yet, this ought not to be a reason to go over the barrier of exploration. Limitations on class must not be made the basis of what you can do.
A man of inspiration and ability cannot be confined in one field of interest and activity. He cannot be content to spend his whole life into one channel of occupation and success. He will always have a reserve power to go beyond the demands of his work. Whatever occupation and location he will be in, he must realize that there will always be movement and life outside his tasks.
To a man, he must always have an open-mind. It will be at that moment in life. He will see life as a single unit cut under all its complexities; that all activities are related to each other; that truth, beauty, knowledge, and character must be harmonized to develop human spirit.
