The Polymath in Vanita

THE BLESSING OF A POLYMATH

By Vanita Lynn Warren

“A Jack of all trades and the master of none—is oft better than master of one.”

—Anonymous

A Jack of All Trades is a negative way of referring to someone who is really a polymath. The blessing of being a Polymath has been marred over the centuries. Regardless of the now-negative phrase imposed on them—they are in fact Jacks of Many Trades. In reality, no human being is a Jack of ALL trades.

Nevertheless, on one hand, polymaths such as Da Vinci, Thoreau, Ben Franklin, or Thomas Jefferson have been lauded for their abilities to do many things, and do them well. However, neither of them were an Einstein, Newton, or the like.

Everybody can’t be a genius any more than everybody could be an artist, doctor, musician, writer, chef, designer, teacher, or engineer. We each have our unique gifts and in some cases—like polymaths—those gifts significantly overlap. There are exceptions, but typically, polymaths are not geniuses, nor are they obsessed with or prone to just one craft. Therefore, various types polymaths are probably the most common in any society, and thus the majority. There are more people who are able to do several things, than there are those who specialize in just one thing. However, it’s not encouraged because no wants to appear conceited, as to compare themselves to Da Vinci or Franklin; nor do they want to be stereotyped as the erroneously dreaded “Jack of all trades and master of none.”

Polymaths learn from the geniuses and other experts. They can grasp and effectively apply the rudimentary concepts of many disciplines without having to become masters of the discipline itself. They simply have the ability to excel, with skill, at several “trades,” while merely tampering with many more.

As mere mortals, us polymaths can only aspire to be—and I paraphrase the original quote:

“A Jack of [many] trades and the master of [some or] none—which is still oft better than master of “one.”

Only God is the Jack of ALL trades and the Master on ALL.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-polymath/answer/Vanita-Lynn-Warren