The Need to Know a Little About a Lot
Recently (last few months) I've personally read about the strong discussion about being good a lot of things vs. being great at something. As Corbett Bar recently put it,
There’s an age-old question that everyone seems to struggle with at some point in life. Is it better to be a Renaissance man or woman and be good at a lot of different things or to be laser-focused and really great at one specific thing?
I have yet to reach a definitive conclusion on what I believe is better, but I strongly believe that whether or not an individual is a Renaissance man/woman or is "laser focused", an individual should be well rounded in that they are culturally literate.
What is Cultural Literacy?
The contributors of Wikipedia have stated that,
is the ability to converse fluently in the idioms, allusions and informal content which creates and constitutes a dominant culture. From being familiar with street signs to knowing historical references to understanding the most recent slang, literacy demands interaction with the culture and reflection of it.
I expand that definition to include having a slight clue of current world events, politics, sports or pop culture.
Why is it important?
I personally believe that it is important because it dramatically increases your ability to contribute and connect with other individuals. If you have some clue about the latest major sports result or world crisis, it makes it that much easier to create productive small talk.
In my work as a caddy, I have found it extremely helpful to glance at the headlines in the paper so that I have more to say than "good shot" or "nice putt" to my member during the course of 4.5 hours.
Knowing some obscure trivia or pop culture reference can help you connect with a classmate, teammate, stranger or friend that has a niche passion or interest. Not only can you genuinely connect with them, but you can then practice humility by asking a question(s) about their beloved interest. In the end, one party has learned something due to the sharing by another.
Lesson?
Remember those Snapple Facts, glance at the mornings headlines and read more in-depth when time allows, and use WIKIPEDIA. Why? Because it's free, simple and fast. Certainly don't use it for those school research projects, but anytime you have a craving to find out a little more about a particular company, word, person, trend, etc, use the world's free encyclopedia.
You never know when a fact like, "The Isle of Man's (a place I am visiting in May) parliament, Tynwald, is the oldest continuous parliament in the world."
