Dabbling in the stream
I wouldn’t ever pretend to be a Shakespearean scholar or a philosopher. I’m a dabbler, a generalist. I think lots of things are interesting, so I follow threads on whims. I don’t need to know everything there is to know about a subject. I don’t want to be an expert on anything. I love to read, but I wouldn’t really belong in Academe.
I’ve read Plato’s Republic, and I wouldn’t fit into his ideal world where people do one thing only, so they can do that one thing exquisitely. It just doesn’t work for me. I think that things I learn in one subject can help me to understand another, and everything crosses over, filling in pieces of a larger puzzle.
I thought Irving Stone’s characterization of Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy was pretty close to the Platonic ideal of a man so focused on his craft that his creations were of the highest quality imaginable. He didn’t even want to have a mate, simply because it would distract him from his work. But even Michelangelo dabbled in painting and architecture, art forms that only helped him to perfect his talent as a sculptor.
Sure I like to be good at what I do. I just think life would be too boring if I only did one thing all the time. And speaking of the Republic, I keep passing by this place that looks like it could be a restaurant but more likely some sort of exclusive club where you have to be invited by someone in the inner circle. The sign says “Republic” and nothing more.
I had to know, so I searched the Web for “Republic Las Colinas” because it wasn’t even listed on Guidelive, which is supposed to know everything about restaurants in the DFW area, except there’s a bunch of restaurants still listed in Irving and Las Colinas even though they’ve been out of business for two years or more, but I digress.
So their Web site pretty much confirmed it. The way the signs made it look like an exclusive club was intentional, good marketing I guess. The description on the Web site starts off, “Located in trendy Las Colinas…” Ew.
I’ll go anyway. I don’t care if they stare when they see my disheveled hair. I’m following the thread, following my nose, searching for new flavors and a new adventure.