A Renaissance (Wo)Man…

The Renaissance Epoch, as a period of “rebirth”, has been acknowledged for a few centuries … This conceptual term comes from an era when art, creativity, imagination and the overall being of the human state and mind were a primary issue.

It was a time when life was renewed; it was exciting … and learning of new issues was a priority.  The term “Renaissance Man” or Woman, for that matter, has a number of connotations, all having to do with creativity, intellect and accomplishments at different levels and in different fields. We think of Leonardo Da Vinci and his paintings come to mind. Yet to me, it was his incredible creative genius, his ability to push his mind into the realm of the “What If?” and come up with detailed renditions of gizmos which would not be feasible or possible for centuries yet. Among Da Vinci’s concepts: the helicopter; the battle tank, the double hull for ships, the possibility of harnessing solar power, anatomic discoveries, a rudimentary calculator…  and many others which escape my not so creative mind at this time.

When we talk about a modern “renaissance person” we usually refer to someone who can juggle a few tasks and ideas and, for the most part, make the juggle work. This description falls far short of what the original concept was. In fact, if we had a real “renaissance person” today, what would be the areas of interest? Mind you, these are only my ideas and they are based on what we already know …

What is there to invent? Space travel, the all time favorite, is already a “been there, done that” issue. True, we have yet to actually send anyone beyond our most immediate neighbor, but the concepts and the basis for future travel in space are laid out. We are just waiting for the technology to catch up. Remember the early days of Start Trek? They brought us to the furthest galaxies … as we suppose them to be, Klingons and all.

Back in 1968, there wasn’t a single individual on this planet who was close enough to a radio or a TV set, who was not glued to the same, following events as the first astronauts landed on the moon. Today, the only time we even pay attention to a lunar mission is when there are problems. Did you know that today’s average smart phone has about 100 times the computing power the lunar lander had back in ’68? Scary, isn’t it? To think that the lives of those men were entrusted to a computer with less power than the telephone that often drops the calls you are making…

What else can the modern renaissance wo/man look into? Computers? We are now looking at machines that actually may be able to think many times faster (the many times multiplier goes into the three+ zeroes category, just don’t want to make you feel totally inadequate!!) than the human brain; computers are now such an integral part of our lives that even those of us in the “vanguard” (sounds a lot better than older, no?) generation would find that our lives would become much more complicated if we did not have them. The first “personal” computer I had was a TI/Radio Shack box, with an attached driver and keyboard. No internal hard drive or some such. And this was less than 30 years ago …

So where else can our R-Man go? The body? Maybe … this is a frontier which still defies total investigation … no, not areas such as kidneys, liver, heart, etc… These we pretty much know how they work… Let’s talk about that other organ, the one in a hard case, the one that serves as a lifetime pilot to the rest of the mechanicals. I refer to the brain and, more to the point, the anima which generates the reasoning that controls the actual emissions of the electrical commands which move us. Oh … All right!!  I do not profess to have the knowledge to actually write about this concept but … you are still reading, aren’t you? ...

Indeed, I believe this is an area where a true renaissance wo/man of today can make a name … do we know what that “anima” (for lack of a better working name) is? Do we call it a “Spirit”?  Do we call it a “Soul”?  What would you call it?  It reasons, it is cognizant, it is intuitive, it falls prey to moods and changes of emotions … It loves and it hates; it can analyze and understand the concept of right and wrong; it can make a decision based on this understanding. I do not think we have the actual means to measure it really; we just look at an output that we call the “IQ” and make assumptions based on this. Computers may still take a while (I hope!!) to catch up to the point of being able to achieve accomplishments in these areas and several other intangible areas of our humanness that we really do not know yet.

Indeed, there are not many areas of the physical realms we have not put our hands unto, or where we have not laid the grounds to do so, as soon as technologies available allow this. This leaves those areas we may call “ethereal”… “mystical” … “Spiritual”.  Do we have a guidebook? No, we do not… We do have, however, thousands upon thousands of psychologists and psychiatrists who have been desperately trying to make a dent in these roads … without much true success.

As I sit here, my brain’s synapsis(ses?) are sending directed charges everywhere; first looking  to remember whatever fragmented knowledge I may have about this topic; then thinking about it and putting the results into some order and finally, sending the right messages to other parts of the body so that the fingers hit the right keys on the board… (I have to look into this particular connection … I think it needs a little cleaning!!) Yeah … there is much to be learned in this area yet. My humble belief is that the “anima” and the organic brain are working in synergy, where the end result of the combined ability is much more than the individual sum of the ability of both parts.  One cannot work well without the other. Yet, we can see how the damaged physical brain of one S. Hawkins can be literally forced to function with very limited connections available. What moves this mind? What allows him to project his thoughts, ideas and such? Yes, there is a marvelous electronic component to his communication but, the persona that is this incredible mind still has to learn to function within the restraints. And make them work.

What makes some people face issues and come out ahead while others who face the same issues fall down? The physical brain is the same, basically … what makes the difference? What is that intangible we at times call “character”? … I told you I had not many answers, just more questions.

Think about these issues, it is actually fun to do so; often in these ramblings my constant battle call is “use your mind”;  “don’t let it go to waste” … do not allow your children to become so dependent on electronic stimuli that they lose the concept of improving their mind, of having the initiative to do so. It is akin to a drug that takes the place of their will and of their cognitive process. This would be a horrible legacy to leave them. 

Be well!!   Be Back!!!

Final Notes:

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