The Dabbler

One topic that inevitably follows upon any discussion of the virtues of generalization over specialization, or vice versa, is the Generalist's 'dangerous' tendency to become a 'dabbler'.  In other words, an aspiring renaissance man invariably runs the risk of becoming a 'jack of all trades, but master of none'.  This latter labeling generally holds a negative connotation, in that this person would have a very thin layer of knowledge in any given field - probably just enough to get himself into trouble.  The Dabbler flits from one point of interest to another, learning only enough of the basic tenets of any given discipline to impress a potential mistress at a cocktail party for an evening.

This is a valid criticism, and one not to be taken lightly.  This is a definite pitfall to be avoided on your way to becoming a renaissance man.  Generalists, by their nature, are saddled with the curse of impatience.  They are perpetually seduced by 'the new'.  It should be noted that very few people can learn enough about something within a few weeks or months to be considered proficient in that subject in any way, and generally anything substantial worth learning will take the average man several years of study to become even passably 'good'.  Obviously, if one were setting out to 'master' some discipline, it could take him a lifetime.

However, it should be noted that this 'curse' of being perpetually drawn to new things is also the Generalist's greatest attribute.  It is the person who isn't perpetually drawn to something new who becomes comfortably smoke-stacked into specialization and (potentially) looks back upon the lost decades of his life with some regret in the end at the things not done.  Sure, the specialist has 'mastered' the art of selling widgets to the wary, but has he ever felt the tingling wash of indescribable emotion as he stood on stage and blew his gleaming horn into a writhing, cheering crowd as they chanted his name?  Of course not; he had to be at the office in the morning.  Has he ever thrown his meager savings into a barely sea-worthy sloop, embarking on a journey around the world and finding the woman of his dreams in a small port stop in Belize, all because he wanted to learn to be a proficient sailor?  Are you kidding?  There are quotas to be met in widgets.  You can't take that kind of time off and expect to stay at the 'top of your game' in widget sales, my friends.

Some people argue that generalism is dead.  It has been stated that in this day and age you MUST specialize to be proficient enough in any given field to 'make your mark'.  I would submit that that depends on what the goal is.  What is the mark?  If you would like to be a Nobel prize winning scientist - if that is truly your goal in life - then yes, it is probably a good idea to specialize.  It is no longer the early 1800s, when these fields were in their relative youth compared to where they are now.  The fields of science and mathematics are old and much explored, and you will need to devote your time heavily to specific aspects of those fields in order to be 'taken seriously' by the entrenched, specialized community of scientists and mathematicians.  Would you like to be a rich man?  Well then, unless you are very lucky, you will probably need to specialize in business and learn to wring every penny out of every widget.  Expect to spend 80 hours a week or so doing something like that.

However, if your goal is to live a fulfilled life, if your goal is to be happy, if your goal is to look back and say, "I did that," with satisfaction when you are 70, then the renaissance man lifestyle is for you.  Since when did the renaissance man need to be famous for something?  Since when did he need to discover some breakthrough in science?  Sure there are famous renaissance men out there, but not every renaissance man needs to be Leonardo da Vinci.  You don't need to be Miles Davis to blow a good horn.  You don't need to be an America's Cup winner to be a good sailor.  These are modern contrivances that seek to deter a man from generalization and accept his presumed fate that if he will succeed, he will succumb to specialization.  Cast off the specialist mantra, renaissance man!  Learn to sail if you wish!  Learn to blow your horn!

My point is, yes, you need to be wary of spending too much time doing too little of anything in particular.  That is not renaissance man living; that is just laziness.  You do need to earn proficiency in many of the fields that you explore.  You must be 'good' at things.  It is not enough to dabble with this or that.  You can't look back upon your life at 70 and say, "Well, I tried some things."  If you want to play an instrument, learn the instrument.  If you want to learn to sail, learn to sail.  But here's the thing: if you decide that music just isn't your thing and you'd rather learn to paint... do it!  Don't stick with something you don't like just because you don't want to be labeled a dabbler.  Worse yet, don't be frightened off of the generalist path before even venturing down it for fear of lacking 'the proper amount' of devotion.  When you find something you like, stick with it and become proficient.  When, four or five years down the road you'd like to learn something else, learn something else!  Do that for a lifetime and you will have been proficient at nearly a dozen excellent things.

Remember, renaissance man, you don't need to change the world, changing your world is enough.