Unanswered

The Simple Makings Of Renaissance Men

4 min readApr 2, 2018

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious — Albert Einstein

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review (March-April 2018) states:

“Questioning is an innate human ability that is subverted and systematically shut down”

I believe a journey of introspection begins with a simple question. On a ride back home, one of my friends asked me a question as I was pulling into the parking lot. He had looked at my visible enjoyment of driving throughout the ride. So, he asked me quite innocently “do you love cars?”

That question took me down an internal rabbit hole as I tried to figure out the list of things I was disinterested about? Honestly, I couldn’t find an answer. So, I replied “if there is anything I can learn because of my love for cars, then I love cars”. In other words, I am generally curious. This conversation may not seem particularly unique to most. It would seem like friendly banter. It was that except the fact that basic questions lead you to profound answers.

The quest to find answers to unanswered questions has created many a curious mind. Some of those curious minds who wandered deep into the labyrinth of life’s mysteries found some answers. When they shared their answers with the world, the world was able to see what they saw. Something that had escaped the worlds collective vision because it abandoned its search for answers early.

As I read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein or Leonardo DaVinci, I cannot help but marvel at the ‘Renaisance Men’ (Polymaths) that common sense curiosity has spawned. I don’t have all the ingredients needed to create Renaisance men or women but I am happy to share what little I have learnt about these giants.

Perhaps, you may need to stand on the shoulders of these giants. Even better, your curiosity could make you one. In either case, I hope you keep searching for answers.