The other day, we were discussing people preoccupation with school and their particular majors. So many students with intensive programs get so sucked into achieving the perfect grade and getting to their degree that they begin to neglect everything else around them. They do not make the effort to make friends outside of their department and they neglect the ones that they do have. They disconnect with their family. They refuse to participate in any extra activities not pertaining to their major. They develop a superior attitude and forget that other people also have difficult programs. They start to make everyone around them miserable.
This is probably one of the most frustrating things to me because if your life ended tomorrow, it would not matter what your GPA was or how much you knew about education, nursing, or religion. What would matter would be how you lived your life and how you impacted others lives. As I thought about it more, I began to wonder what some of the great philosophers and men of the Renaissance would say. I believe that Pico would say that we are “constrained by no limits” and that we should not confine ourselves to one area (Oration on the Dignity of Man, 72). He would probably say that humans are of indeterminate nature and are beautiful creatures that are full of possibilities, so we should be reaching higher towards the Divine.
Plato would instruct us to kindly step out of the cave that we are living in. He would show us that there is so very much out there in the world than ourselves. And by staying in a cave where we think the world consists of ourselves and the few shadows surrounding us, is essentially limiting ourselves. After seeing that there is more to the world and expanding our minds, we would then want to do the same for others: “Let him be reminded of his first habitation, and what was wisdom in that place, and of his fellow-prisoners there; don't you think he would bless himself for the change, and pity them” (“Allegory of the Cave” from The Republic)? I think he would also say that through understanding more of the world outside of the cave would help us better understand our life within the cave (in this case our area of study).
Petrarch would probably tell us something a little different than the others. He would tell us to stick to our studies and not try to take the easy way out because it never really turns out the way you want it to. As far as the social aspect, he would probably tell us to take the advice of St. Augustine and first exam and perfect ourselves before we can take interest in other things. We must first exam ourselves and work on achieving a better relationship with God. Only then should we focus on external issues and be able to appreciate the beauty of the world along with human life.
Aristotle would, of course, advise us that there is a golden mean to everything. There is solely studying and solely socializing- neither are correct. Somewhere in there is a balance between the two and when it is found, one can better appreciate both. A perfectionist student may have to aim towards over-socializing to hit the mean. On the other hand, a socialite may have to work toward being over studious. I tend to agree with Aristotle the most because I do think there is a mean to everything and, if achieved, is a beautiful thing.
Lastly, Machiavelli would say that there is a balance, however one should focus on whatever is most beneficial. To Machiavelli, it doesn't really matter if you are making the people around you miserable: “a prince ought not to worry about a reputation for being cruel in order to keep his subjects unified and loyal” (The Prince, 284). I don't think he would have advised us to take interest in other people's lives just to help them, only to help us.
Clearly there are some conflicting opinions, in theory, between the philosophers and men of the Renaissance. However, there is still an overarching theme of balance and taking interest in the world around us. There is so much more out there in the world than the tiny sphere so many people confine themselves to. If we are able to break our of our caves, we might discover a whole new beautiful life and wonder how we even lived before.
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