Polymath storytellers and the guide to our complex world
Let me start with a story of 2 pictures
Reading the biography of Leonardo da Vinci by Water Isaacson, which delves into the fascinating mind and works of the man, I was struck by this picture. At first glance, it shows his fervent Latin practice. But look deeper, and there emerges the picture of the man with a grimace. Maybe it was his state of mind. Languages are hard, and Latin, must have been even more so. Maybe he was bored and he was doodling. Or maybe, he had a moment of inspiration of what he could draw next and did not want to lose that thought. But the real picture that emerges is that of a mind, that is comfortable operating in multiple dimensions. A classic Polymath.
Growing up reading the books of Satyajit Ray and watching his pathbreaking movies, one consistent learning is his power to not just imagine the story and its plot but the sheer visualization, through images and even music. This particular image is from his movie Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, a funny and yet searing tale of two men who get ridiculed and misunderstood and then come across a band of ghosts who give them special powers. The image here is how he pictured the ghosts. If you see the movie now, it is clear how his clear vision translated to the screen. And moving from the visual world, now hear this song. The song the King of Ghosts sings when he meets the two frightened men. Funny, rhyming, metallic, memorable. And sung by polymath, Satyajit Ray.
Cut to the modern day. Specialization starts early today. Think of the first question we ask when we meet a young (and even no so young kid).
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
I remember a moment when my daughter (not yet a teen then) on being asked that question by a well-meaning adult at a party asked in return,
“Uncle, do you know who are now…now that you have grown up?”
Ouch!
We are asked to choose our specialization quite early these days. First, with subjects we can and cannot study. Then with career options that choice provides for us. And then with jobs we can do based on that.
But, think about it. The world around us is increasingly getting more and more complex.
And I see a new breed of Polymaths.
From Elon Musk to Yuval Harari and from Atul Gawande to Margaret Atwood and many other similar inspiring people, the ones who are really able to show us a deeper sense of the world, are the ones who do not look at it just from one lens.
Their interests are varied. And that comes back in what they write, create, share.
They are what I call, polymath storytellers. And they are still the most visceral window to the world around us.