Unleash Your Inner Renaissance Genius: Inspiring a Young Polymath

During the Renaissance period from the 14th to the 17th centuries, individuals with a wide range of intellectual, artistic, and practical skills were known as "polymaths" or Renaissance men. These people were admired for their diverse talents, broad knowledge, and ability to excel in multiple areas of expertise. A Renaissance man was expected to understand several subjects, such as literature, philosophy, mathematics, science, art, music, and more.

How do we inspire the next generation of Polymaths? Growing up in a small Polish community, the far-reaching identity of a Renaissance Man or, in our case, a woman, was too far from reality. Although I don’t claim that distinction, my parents encouraged many hobbies.

We always worked at our family business, which meant at a young age, we had disposable income. Since my parents covered food, clothing, and shelter, after we contributed to our college savings, we had leftover money for random expenses. I spent some of the money on buying plaster figurines.

Plaster figurines came in various themes such as animals, flowers, and fairy tale characters. Most were small, but we occasionally purchased one close to a foot tall. The shop was within walking distance from our house, so my sister and I would walk up to make our selection. I was about eight years old when I was passionate about this hobby.

Coin collecting evolved from our family store. As we worked the cash register, we spotted Wheat Pennies quickly. But we also eyed the coveted 50-cent piece, which before 1970 was made of silver. But coins from the Liberty nickel to a steel penny were entered into our treasure trove of coins. My dad and I would spend hours cleaning them and arranging them in coin books, which I still have today.

My sisters played the piano, which I napped to as a baby. Mozart, Chopin, and other classics would lull me to sleep. Although I listened to their artistic abilities, my lessons didn’t go as well. I tried, but it was a short-lived experience. I plan on correcting that now that I am an adult.

Charlotte and Madeline by the piano

Our science experience evolved with the endless science fairs my sisters participated in. Jacobs Ladder, fighting cocks, and mice experiments, to name a few, that my sisters and, subsequently, I were involved in. I was an observer and sometimes a participant, but the lessons learned were inspiring to become hobbies or activities I also enjoyed.

Reading was always encouraged by my parents. In the summer, we would walk to the public library to choose our books for the week. We would log the books we read for a reading award. Although I was an early reader, I enjoyed math more than books. However, my oldest sister gave me the Lord of the Rings books, which I devoured. I am still a voracious reader of all genres.

Philosophy in our family was always religious. It wasn’t until college that the two merged. The question asked, “If you say you are an atheist, you are saying you don’t believe in God, so you are in reality saying God exists.” Wow, it blew my mind.  Philosophy was a passion, very mathematical, “if that, then this.”

However, learning a language has been a constant failure. My parents spoke Polish at home, but I never picked it up. Even after formal Polish language classes, I only have a basic one or two-sentence understanding. In high school, I took two years of French only to be able to say the “Hail Mary” in French. I studied in the Italian section of Switzerland only to get a D in Italian. Not my forte.

But inspiring the rising generation seems to be easier than perfecting my list of skills. Our son, who aims to become a Renaissance Man, is realizing that. He has an engineering degree from Virginia Tech, where he was an athlete and a lacrosse player.  After graduation, he became a rock climber, climbing Kilimanjaro. He became a scuba diver and surfboarder in Australia.  He is striving to become a black belt in jiu-jitsu. His ballroom dance skills have been rated high in competitions. He has been learning Czech and Russian to communicate with friends and colleagues.

Peyton at his ballroom competition

So, how do we inspire the rising generation to develop hobbies? First, to be an example of a growth mindset and keep learning. Second, encourage any interest a child might have. A boy wants to take ballet, fantastic. A girl wants to be a bull rider, excellent. Even hobbies you might not necessarily think are beneficial, check your bias and open your mind to inspiring a young polymath.