Perhaps I get this from my Father. He had wide and varied interests and was able to try his hand at just about anything with great success. You have probably heard the saying that a person can be a "Jack of all trades but master of none". I felt that that saying applied to my Father in exactly the same way that a square peg fits into a round hole. In other words, not at all. Somehow he had this uncanny ability to discover, analyse and replicate just about any process that involved the use of his hands. From menial tasks to complex and difficult projects, he was able to master them all. The only things he never mastered were those things he never found an interest in trying (electronics and computers were on the short list). It may sound like perhaps I am exaggerating, however let me list some things that he became very proficient in to prove that I am not using hyperbole. His accomplished skills included mould making, panel beating, spray painting, most building trade skills such as painting, bricklaying, carpentry, electrical, plastering, tiling, excavation (bobcat and jackhammering), landscape gardening, welding, and automotive mechanical work just to name a few. He was also able to name any Australian bird by hearing its call, spot a rabbit from 200m and bring it down with a rifle shot, survive in the Australian bush on bush tucker alone, and for many years he rode a 3 speed bicycle to work every day a distance of more than a 70km round trip.
Sadly he passed away some years ago but there is no doubt that he was a remarkable man with many and varied interests.
Living up to this standard is extraordinarily difficult, so I don't really worry about it too much, but I have discovered that I share with him the same insatiable appetite for variety in life. I have completely stripped down and rebuilt probably 4 or 5 cars, played with, broken and repaired many computers, written numerous computer programs and databases, hold a university degree in Mechanical Engineering, raced Motocross for a while, competed in state Drift events, built my own pool and landscaped the yard (including paving, retaining walls, bricklaying, plumbing), learnt how to electrically wire my house with a comprehensive alarm system, CAT5 network, and telephony, learnt how to play better-than-average guitar, produced and recorded my own rock CD, begun to learn Greek and Japanese, and have a deep interest in philosophy. I say these things not to boast, and I certainly don't make any claims to being exceptionally good at any of these things I have listed, but it is just a way of showing what varied interests I have.
This intense interest in so many things in the world is surely an example of a great appreciation and thankfulness for every good thing I see. I find that when I discover a new topic that takes my interest I have to be disciplined to decide that I cannot afford the time to delve deeper into this interest without it adversely affecting what I already do. In principle I think that the initial attraction is a positive thing. It means that I find God's earth an amazing and captivating environment to be in. I find that as I get older, I also appreciate at a much deeper level the complexity and orderedness of the universe in all its aspects, whether the unspoiled "natural" or man-altered "non-natural" or the transcendent "supernatural" things. As I say, in principle this is a good thing. It only becomes a problem in the practice of attempting to manifest so many interests in one life.
Now, to the point of this particular blog. I think maybe I am interested in too many things, and perhaps I don't do justice to any of them quite as well as I know I could. I think of top professionals in their fields and consider the amount of time and effort they dedicate to perfecting their work. Top sportsmen for example spend a great deal of their time in training, attempting to improve their game or event. Top businessmen dedicate most of their time to researching and learning the necessary techniques in order to become the best in their field. Perhaps since my time is so thinly spread across too many interests, I don't excel in any of them. Although not directly related, I have always liked the line of Bilbo's in the Fellowship of the Ring when he said "Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean; like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right."
I suppose over the years I have come to recognise this more and more, and so I have begun to plan how to apply a solution to this. I find that I now consciously put aside things that I find very appealing, simply because I cannot fit them in. Also I have seen the need to cull some things in order to excel at others. This brings me to probably one of the most important things a person can do in their life. That is, prioritisation. We need to develop a good system for deciding what those things are that are the most important and useful given the circumstances and abilities that we have been given. Fundamentally we need to first do that which we ought to do. Then we need to choose that which is most beneficial for the overall goal of our lives. And that goal may very well be an unselfish one. I suspect that this is the best type of goal to have.
Can we say that what we are doing at any particular moment in our lives, is an important, honorable and worthwhile endeavour, that is the path to a noble goal?
I have always felt that I had important things to say, but to date I haven't had much opportunity to share them. Perhaps beginning with this blog site this might change.
If you find anything encouraging or helpful in my blogs, then please leave a comment with your thoughts.
Here's to being the best person we can be in every situation.
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