What did you want to be when you 'grew up'?

Astronaut -> Computer Engineer -> Mechanical Engineer -> Good Dad.

As a consumer of way too much black & white / early color TV as a kid, Fred McMurray from "My Three Sons", and Bill Bixby from "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" all were powerful influencers on me as a kid. Oh yea, forgot the "Professor" from "Nanny and the Professor". "The Saint" with Roger Moore, and of course, Sean Connery's 007 weighed heavily on my young mind, too.

My dad, who had a few small businesses (yea, plural - they'd ride high for a while and then crash:), along with an uncle who was a project engineer at IBM, also played a big role, of course.

Those jets doing sonic booms over the skys of Troy, NY in the late 1960's (before this got banned), along with the moon landing, also were big influencers on the path I chose. Too much cool stuff was happening in science and technology not to want to be an engineer back then! :)

- april05

Although I didn't have the necessary awareness or maturity then to understand my motivations, it was clear to me that a self actualized life meant doing everything!

It would take almost 70 orbits around the sun before I discovered that I have as part of my genome the "Edison Gene". This explains in part perhaps why the pursuit of novelty has been such a fundamental imperative in my life.

It was perhaps apparent to others that the need for self expression was also a driving force. If it was not as apparent to me it was likely because I am an impulsive person: when I get an idea I pursue it. When I tire of it, I change activities or directions.

The only constant in the last 25 years is my passion for mechanical design for which I still have a consummate addiction.

I was but 30 when someone first called me a Renaissance Man. Being less than worldly, I did not recognize the historical meaning of that term. I interpreted it instead as suggesting that my thinking was old, outdated. My naivete caused some laughter and further embarrassed me! However, it's obvious that the term fits like the proverbial glove.

In his famous book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" Robert Persig wrote"

"The hero of the Odyssey is a great fighter, a wily schemer, a ready speaker, a man of stout heart and broad wisdom who knows that he must endure, without too much complaining, what the gods send; and he can both build and sail a boat, drive a furrow as straight as anyone, beat a young braggart at throwing the discus, challenge the Pheacian youth at boxing, wrestling or running; flay, skin, cut up and cook an ox, and be moved to tears by a song. He is in fact an all rounder; he has surpassing arete.

Arete implies a respect for the wholeness or oneness of life, and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implies a contempt for efficiency or rather a much higher idea of efficiency which exists not in one department of life but in life itself."

Add to this wisdom the sage counsel of Joseph Campbell who urged us to always "Follow Your Bliss" and you can appreciate why the idea of picking just one field and "growing up" have never entered my mind. I am too busy growing to stop and "grow up".

The organic machine I live inside of is starting to show the ravages of time but my spirit is still young, vibrant and alive.

And THAT has made all the difference, especially when it has been my privilege to stand in front of a classroom.

It's not the information we have nor the techniques we "teach" that make a difference in the world. Rather, it's the context we live our lives from and the one we create for others that inspires others to learn.

Perhaps that's why a highly perceptive Guatemalan shaman gave me the nickname of "Laughing Jaguar"

Good answer...

How many of us consider ourselves Renaisance Men?

I like to think of myself as a renaisance Cat....music and languages would be the gaps in my repertoire, but hey ya can't win em all.

Del

Thanks Del!

". . . . . but hey ya can't win em all"

And who invented THAT rule?!

As for cats. . . . cats are cool, awesome creatures that can stare at you and somehow . . . . they know! Not sure I'd want to come back as one. Perhaps, but I think the idea of coming back as a Blues guitarist would allow for greater self expression.

My interests are engineering, science, music, philosophy, literature, theology.... oh and renaissance architecture and art... Hmmmmmm

And all this time Del, I thought you were fluent in Catonese...

At 65 I still haven;t found the dream --- had a great career with the USAF civil service for 29 years but still explored various dream jobs. Still haven't found it but still dreaming -- maybe that is what keeps me young in hope that I will find it. Still working and still searching --- But the lottery could help -- then I could try anything I want -- and if it didn't work --- oh well -- on to something else. LOL