The Life Molecule
This is a model I'm playing around with.
I was thinking about that people tend to have a main field of activity: Science, Arts, Sports, Community. Although in reality most people are a mix of these, they often identify with one more strongly than the others.
Why do people identify with, say, Sport rather than Science? Obviously these different fields have different activities or qualities they are known for.
The 'well rounded human' would be interested in all of these, and therefore be a well balanced person.
Some context: me
One my beliefs is that being 'well-rounded' makes life more enjoyable - mainly because you get to enjoy more of it, because fewer areas of life are closed to you. e.g. As a kid, I was a 'Science' person, avoiding Sports, not 'getting' Arts, and being quite unaware of Community.
I also believe that being well-rounded increases my ability to be successful. I think because doing different types of things works different areas of the brain, and like a building muscle, variety multiplies the benefits of repetition.
Someone told me that there were statistics showing that students who had studied science, maths and music did better than those studying just science and maths, maths and art, or music and art.
Lucky for me I had planned on taking science, maths and music anyway.
As I've grown up, I've also grown to appreciate, understand and experience Sport, Arts, and Community. I feel that life is richer and more fun this way than it would be if I were still focused on just Science. That's not to say that I'd be unhappy, but I know that as a kid, I felt like I was missing out on Sports and Arts even though I had no desire for them.
Back to the model
The model distinguishes for me the (positive) characteristics I associate with those fields. They are the characteristics that I work to be/do/have.
Interesting.
I should say that I originally only had the lower three stalks. But human beings are intrinsically social: the things we do that give our life meaning are always done
It is these interactivities that give life to our intra-activities. Scientific discoveries are interesting, but are important only in the context of the world in which we live. e.g. penicillin is interesting in its effects: the discovery of a certain mould killing certain bacteria was interesting. But what made it important was that it could save the lives and health of every person and animal in the world.
Likewise, when Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under one minute is an achievement, but is only important because no-one else had done it before, and this was noted in the
Life happens within the context of society. Life halts happens without it. Or, less cryptically, the rich meaningful parts of life happen in relation to someone or some people, while the rote, unnotable events of our lives are those we do without noticing others.