Being a Renaissance Man

I enjoy doing a lot of things and I honestly believe that it will benefit me and my family in the long run.  I think that a lot of people these days are only equipped with one or two skills.  We go to college and "major" in one thing.  We learn a trade and focus entirely on that trade.  What happens if that major or trade goes away?  It's happening all around us.

I read that the economy is rebounding and that the "recession" is over.  I just have a hard time believing it.  I still see people without jobs.  I still see the prices of consumer goods soaring.  There are jobs out there though.  I see them every day.  Do people just not want them or are they not qualified to perform the task?  I don't really have the answer, but I suspect that it's a little bit of both.  I'm a trained PR man.  I got a quality education and learned all about crafting messages, channeling information and managing perception.  What if that was all I had?  Scares the hell out of me sometimes.  I work hard.  I love what I do, and I think I'm pretty good at it.  However, I am employed at the will of a state government entity that is suffering major economic setbacks.  I need something else to go with that.  Not only knowledge that makes me a commodity, but knowledge that edifies me personally.  I'm not talking about a masters degree either.  I'm talking about skills.  I've learned a lot of random things, but I have a hunger for more.  I want to learn how to deliver a breeched calf.  How to stitch up a wound.  How to code a cool Web site.  How to read a topographical map.  How to take a professional looking picture.  And by God I still want to go to Auctioneering School too!

At the risk of sounding a like a kooky apocalyptic naysayer, I think we seem to be losing that desire to learn and take care of ourselves in society today.  That scares the hell out of me.  I suppose that I'm not really an expert at anything that I do, but I do most of it pretty good.  I'm convinced that a strong back and a will to work is the most valuable skill of all.  It's hard to get myself motivated to do any of the things I mentioned.  They're all hard and they don't pay worth a damn.  I don't know if it's God or if it's my environment, but something keeps telling me that I need to continue diversifying my skills portfolio.  Learn as much as I can.  As kooky or apocalyptic as it sounds, that's what I'm gonna do.

Ya'll take it easy,

Alex