Learning is about gaining context, forging unexpected connections, and drawing in opportunities you never imagined.
Expand your knowledge beyond your immediate field; take inspiration from Elon Musk, who once decided to delve into a book on rockets—embrace a similar curiosity.
There are numerous compelling reasons to broaden your learning horizons, but let’s start with a fundamental concept:
Knowing about two things is undoubtedly superior to knowing just one.
It’s as straightforward as that.
The ancients held a profound principle known as Arete (excellence), emphasizing the pursuit of virtue, with learning as the pivotal step toward achieving Arete.
In the realm of ancient wisdom, there was a structured approach to seeking knowledge:
Trivium (Art of letters), encompassing Grammar, Rhetoric, and Dialectic.
Quadrivium (Art of numbers), involving Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy.
Do you believe in the power of knowledge?
What would you willingly sacrifice in the pursuit of learning?
Reflecting on this, consider the words of Sertillanges:
When Saint Thomas Aquinas arrived in Paris and beheld the great city from a distance, he commented to his accompanying brother: ‘Brother, I would trade all of this for Chrysostom’s commentary on Saint Matthew.’ When someone feels this passionately, their location and resources become inconsequential
Saint Thomas placed a higher value on knowledge than the allure and riches of Paris.
Read The Intellectual Life.