My son recently completed a project on Leonardo da Vinci. The quintessential Renaissance man, he was an artist, architect, scientist, writer and inventor.
But Leonardo was more than a character in history. His life has important lessons for each of us.
We should not merely be astonished that a human being accomplished so much. Rather, we should be inspired to test our own reach. The rightful goal of medicine, our schools and our society is for all of us to achieve our potentials.
Leonardo was fortunate to be born with natural talents in the right place and time. He was in Florence during the Renaissance.
We too live in a favourable time for the achievement of human potential. Access to a wealth of scientific knowledge and artistic training is as close as the Internet, your public library or local community centre. Computers can facilitate the expression of our creativity, in art, music and writing.
Leonardo studied the human body like an anatomist, and this knowledge informed his work as an artist. His brain was the perfect balance of left and right hemispheres that we value today. He was both logical and creative.
We now recognize creativity and emotional intelligence are as important as I.Q. and logical thinking in the real world. Unfortunately, many of us recognize nor nurture our creative sides.
In the 20th century, creativity and the work of the artist were deemed impractical. Today, creativity is crucial to survival in the real world. It is the key to problem-solving in school, at work and in our personal lives. It allows us to brainstorm for solutions, draw outside the box and, like Leonardo, apply lessons from diverse fields to the problem at hand.
Unfortunately, Leonardo had a habit of getting distracted by his spectrum of interests and frequently left projects unfinished. I've speculated that if he had married, his life would have
unfolded differently.
A practical wife could have kept him on track and made sure he got his work done on time. On the other hand, he could have painted fences rather than the Last Supper, and a jealous wife may have prevented him from spending enough time with the model of the Mona Lisa.
Ironically, Leonardo considered himself an underachiever. At the end of his life, he asked God for forgiveness for not having accomplished more.
That makes the rest of us look like slackers. We ought to ask ourselves if we are heeding the call. Have we discovered, nurtured and fully expressed our unique talents?
A goal of parenting is to provide a safe, nurturing environment to find a child's calling. The goal of education should be to help each child discover and develop his or her unique talents. The rightful goal of medicine is to assist each of us in achieving our unique positive potential throughout our lives.
- Dr. Davidicus Wong is a Burnaby family physician. His column runs Thursdays in the Daily News.