Renaissance Man – What Is It Really?

Renaissance-man

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I read a Wall Street Journal article on you from 1999. They called you a Renaissance Man. You are certainly so diverse and a strong person to endure what you have but still you do not wallow in self pity. What is your secret?

Respectfully;

BT

Ida Armstrong

Ida Armstrong

ANSWER: My mother raised me to always stand up for what you believe in. Yes, I remember when the WSJ called me a Renaissance Man. I am not sure exactly why education today has been so different from those days that created Renaissance Men as we call them today. My theory is how you approach knowledge. I always looked for the connections. I think we teach our children in the totally opposite manner. We departmentalize everything and in the process of dividing everything, we lose the knowledge of the whole.

When I was in High School, I was taking Spanish, French, and Latin. I had virtually completed the first semester when I was called down to the principal‘s office. I was told I had to drop French because taking three languages at the same time they determined was too much for a student. I said my grades were fine and obviously there was no problem. My argument fell on a close mind. That was the rule and it was applied to me. I argued they were all Latin based and so I could see the connection between the three. The word for bed in Latin was lictus, in French lit, and in Spanish lecho.  He thought I was a smart ass because I asked if he comprehended what I was saying in French, comprendre, in Spanish comprender, and then in Latin comprehendere. He did not grasp my point. I was given a study hall in place of French and my enthusiasm for school went out the window.

So I do not know. If I am a Renaissance Man, then I assume the real definition is someone who sees how everything is connected between subjects. The formal definition of a Renaissance Man is a person with many talents or areas of knowledge. To me, that misses the point. It is all about seeing the connections, not disconnected knowledge about everything. If there was a subject which did not fit the connections, then I was not interested.

Latest Posts

Who was Francis Scott Key?

With the bridge debacle, the name Francis Scott Key has been a topic of controversy. Francis Scott Key was an American poet, author, and lawyer from Frederick, Maryland. He witnessed [...]
Read more

Good Friday & It’s History

One of my more interesting trips was to Jerusalem for Easter one year. You walk the streets of this ancient city, and they have marked the Stations of the Cross [...]
Read more

Market Talk – March 28, 2024

ASIA:   The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 decreased 594.66 points or -1.46% to 40,168.07 Shanghai increased 17.52 points or 0.59% to 3,010.66 Hang [...]
Read more