conceptual inertia

From time to time, Jack winces at the thought, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

A love of learning keeps Jack motivated. A lot of shiny toys make it hard to hold Jack’s attention for long. Jack accrues skills over time, revisiting points of interest in an iterative fashion. Given enough time Jack should become a master in all fields, but time and progress wait for no man.

At times, the sheer amount of stuff to learn makes Jack depressed. During such times a little voice in the back of Jack’s mind whispers, “focus”. “Specialization is dangerous,” he argues, “look at the Panda bear! Look at the Cheetah! Specialization is great for short-term gains. Over the long-term, it’s detrimental.”  ”Yes”, whispers the voice, “but your life is half over. You will never be a success unless you focus on the one”. Jack resists, Jack is stubborn.

Eventually, Jack submits, “But what to focus on? How can I commit to just one thing? What if I choose to eat nothing but Bamboo and I’m faced with deforestation? What if I choose to run fast and prey can still outpace me?” The voice whispers back, “Jack of all trades, master of one.”