Mr Norton was busy penning down his thoughts in his notepad. The page title read “Dog behaviour patterns”. It was a pleasant evening and he was sitting on a bench in the middle of the garden. More than 10 dogs were out there playing with their respective parents and running around the park. He was focused on observing their traits and writing them down in a notepad.
Myra was walking around with churros in one hand and her bag in another.
She usually came to park because she got a good sight of dogs playing with kids and the touch of nature in the park added serenity to her hectic day.
She was looking for a place to sit and that’s when see approached Mr Norton
“Hello Sir, do you mind if i sit on this side?” She asked politely
“Not at all my dear” Mr Norton responded
They didn't talk much, both of them very engrossed in their respective Activities.
After an hour or so, Norton started packing his bag, his small tote bag was filled with books. He bookmarked the page, put the pen back in the bag and got up. That’s when his cellphone rang and in the rush to receive, his bag got disbalanced and without him realising it, he dropped a notepad and started walking. Myra too didn't see the notepad falling as she was busy reading her book. The book seemed very interesting as even when it started getting dark, she refused to move.
A gentleman passing by saw the book lying down and picked it up
“Mam seems you dropped one of your book, here you go” he said
Myra looked puzzled. She took the book, took a minute to analyse and then realised the gentleman sitting next to her was writing something and she thought it must be his.
“Umm, thank you for that” She smiled. “Actually, this is not mine, but I know whose it is, so I’ll keep it” She said humbly. The gentleman handed her the book and walked away.
Myra was now staring at the strange book she just found out. It was a notepad with old unruled pages. Looked as if it was handmade. The cover of the book read “This time belongs to Polymaths”.
This was now a mystery to solve. Myra wanted to open the book and read however she couldn’t.
“I can't open someone else’s book,” she thought to herself.
She was getting anxious, she wanted to read the book however her inner self won't allow it. Her anxiety was evident in her actions as she just couldn't take her eyes off the notepad.
She was itching her palm and wondering how she would reach Mr stranger.
“Thank you for keeping this notepad, I realised the loss as I reached the exit gate” A voice uttered from behind Myra
She gazed behind and saw Mr Norton
“Hello sir, you dropped your book here. I have it with me, thank god you came back I was actually thinking how would I find you” Myra said with a grin
“Thank you child, it’s an important book for me” Norton said and held the book in his hand
“Well, Sir sorry but I couldn't stop thinking about what your notepad title directed me to. It’s been more than 30 mins that I have your book. Though I didn't open it, I wanted to know out of curiosity. The title: ``This time belongs to Polymath intrigued me a lot’ ‘ ” Myra said in her serious tone.
Norton, put the book back in the bag and sat right next to Myra where he was initially sitting. It was getting dark now, the park was half empty and the lights were turned on too.
“What’s your name, child?”asked Norton
“Hii I am Myra and I am guessing you are Mr Norton, that’s what’s written on the book and I assumed that’s you” Myra smirked
Norton laughed “You indeed are smart and the reason why i sat here is because of your curiosity. I like that. So Myra, what do you think of the examples who were responsible for the Scientific Revolution?”
“Umm..Polymaths??”Myra questioned
“So you do know the definition of Polymaths, Myra”
“Yes, Polymaths are the ones who have a wide knowledge of almost everything. On top of my mind I can think of Leonardo Da Vinci, Tesla.” Myra said
Both of them were now submerging into a serious discussion
“Right Myra, they define the concepts of Polymaths. Did you know, Leonardo Da Vinci carried a notebook all the time to pen down his observations, thoughts and ideas. He never restricted himself to a specific domain. He was curious, he learned, he wrote and he executed.”
“Is this the reason why they could come up with such brilliant inventions?” Myra asked
“That was certainly because of the way they approached a problem. They never stopped learning, nor did they restrict themselves to a certain specialisation. These people were autodidact. Quite inspiring right?”
“Autodidact??” Myra asked
“Autodidact is a self taught person Myra. Why has Leonardo's work become a story of humanity, is it because he was a brilliant painter or is it because he fused art and science and integrated all this in his painting??
He literally blurred the lines between reality and fantasy.
Diversity shaped him.
Leonardo Da Vinci never went to a school he was self taught. So were most other Polymaths”
“This unquenchable curiosity always goes long way, sir”
“Yes Myra, it worked for them and it’s working for you right now”
“So does this book include your research or your inventions” Myra asked
“I am a learner for life Myra. To develop a unique perspective, to be a polymath you will have to go all in to learn different segments of life. Aristotle too says the same thing, you cannot simply target the low hanging fruits.
I love solving complex problems and usually when you break the problem statement what helps the most is diversity of knowledge. Given the current generation where the internet has democratised knowledge we do have the freedom to embrace knowledge in whatever form we receive and later to implement it. Can we keep sticking to a single specialisation and later with that perspective solve complex problems?
That will never work, child. So you need to go all in to learn. This notepad is the result of my learning, it has my learnings penned down in the most diverse way.
There’s a famous quote by Leonardo Da Vinci “Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
Myra was dumbfounded. “You seem extremely inspired by Polymaths, Mr Norton”
“As Charles Darwin states: He will survive who best manages change”
“The conversation is priceless Mr Norton, I wish I could freeze time and keep listening to you. I am happy I was curious to open your notepad and I couldn't take off my eyes”
“Yes child, i am happy I could impart my wisdom” Norton smiled and started gazing up the dark sky
“Monomath or Polymath, the discussion has always been contentious. Some say Jack of all trades master none, however that at times results in a strong breakthrough. These Exemplars that you mentioned, Leonardo Da Vinci, Aristotle, Tesla have always been in my admiration and inspiration list. Modern Polymaths like Steve jobs, Elon Musk have taken up a good room in the list too. What we talked about makes a lot of sense because given a choice, I would always vouch for Polymaths. So Yes, Mr Norton I agree 100% to your book cover: This time belongs to Polymaths”
“Brilliant child, I love your energy. Investment in knowledge is priceless, beyond the measure of money and irreplaceable. So child that’s precisely where you need to go all in. We want to be Antifragile right, and what do you think will hold us together, if not this?
Both of them were lost in the dark night sky, with their words floating in the sky while they were speaking
