| Return of The Universal ManMarch 27, 1966Every | | | | helpmate.Before the energies of the Renaissance |
| age has its heroes and its geniuses.Some of these | | | | were absorbed by the imperial wars of the 17th |
| outstanding personalities flash but briefly through | | | | and 18th centuries, the ideal of a universal man - |
| the historical firmament.But a few are universal | | | | knowledgeable, versatile, capable, helpful - was |
| men whose achievements transform the lives of | | | | firmly established.Concern, Practical Help Mark of |
| people beyond their communities and beyond their | | | | Universal Man(Last Week: In every golden age of |
| times.Society today yearns for the return of the | | | | civilization the opinion leaders have been "universal |
| universal man. Unrest of the human spirit is world | | | | men" - those possessing the four "Cs" of |
| wide. All peoples are seeking the meaning of life | | | | curiosity, creativity, craftsmanship and |
| and their places in civilization.Whether it's | | | | consideration for others.)A new flowering of |
| nationalism in Africa, industrialism in the Orient, | | | | individualism and a re-emergence of the universal |
| freedom in the Iron Curtain countries, or racial | | | | man, occurred in the 18th century --- a period we |
| strife in the United States - the winds of change | | | | call the Age of Enlightenment.He popularized a |
| are reaching gale strength. Conditions demand | | | | rationalistic and scientific approach to social, |
| captains who can sail in all seas.Such men are in | | | | political, economic and religious issues.Again, he |
| this nation today - perhaps not aware of their | | | | was recognized by his intellectual curiosity, his |
| universal ability, perhaps reluctant to participate in | | | | flexibility of adopting new ideas, his involvement in |
| the struggle. Yet, the needs of their fellow men | | | | and service to society at large.Again, he spoke |
| and their posterity call for the universal men to | | | | across national boundaries to people |
| step forward.The term "universal man" was first | | | | everywhere.Their names shine brightly from the |
| applied to Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo - | | | | pages of history - Voltaire, David Hume, Tom |
| the giants of giants during the period of history | | | | Paine, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Turgot, Alexander |
| we know as the Renaissance.The Renaissance | | | | Pope, Kant, Goethe, Benjamin Franklin, George |
| lasted 300 years - from the 14th to the 16th | | | | Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Madison.The |
| centuries. It was a "rebirth" the dawn of a new | | | | political heritage of present day France and the |
| golden age of creativity.Da Vinci and Michelangelo | | | | United States - and the idea of republican, |
| typified the kind of men who led us from the | | | | representative government everywhere - is the |
| Dark Ages into the modern world as we know it | | | | child of the universal men of the 18th |
| today.They had the four Cs of the human spirit | | | | century.Today, in the 20th century, |
| which made the universal man understood and | | | | dissatisfactions with the old order are flaring anew. |
| PCONSIDERATIONThe Renaissance was | | | | The human spirit which has been too long |
| characterized by its interest in man and ethics. It | | | | repressed by a worldwide Depression, two World |
| was accompanied by a great outburst of individual | | | | Wars and totalitarian ideologies, struggles for a |
| creativity in. literature, painting, sculpture, | | | | Renaissance.Humanism and individualism is on the |
| architecture and science.It was an historical miracle | | | | march once again. Authority is challenged, old |
| interrupting the ordinary course of evolution - a | | | | values doubted.Discovery of new worlds has |
| sudden break-through and acceleration of new | | | | moved from the high seas to outer space.Atomic |
| ideas - an event we are again experiencing | | | | energy has made gun powder obsolete. Television |
| today.The geniuses who possessed the four Cs | | | | and computers have given communication a new |
| that thrust them into positions of acclaim are now | | | | dimension.Even the concepts of service have |
| the great names of Western Civilization - | | | | changed.Is the universal man a fifth wheel in a |
| Petrarch, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, | | | | welfare state, a socialist state, a communist |
| Boccaccio, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Rabelais, | | | | state?Has Social Security, socialized medicine and |
| Shakespeare, Cervantes, Erasmus.These men | | | | the United Foundation eliminated the need for |
| were enormously curious about the world, but | | | | personal charity?Has automation, specialization, and |
| most particularly about the nature of man.There | | | | megalopolis stifled individualism?Is God dead, LSD |
| was an ardent search of classical literature and of | | | | a new path to spiritual emotion, and sex a |
| archeology for clues to man's beginning; and of | | | | substitute for creativity?Has selfishness, the fast |
| science and philosophy as to his destination.The | | | | buck, discrimination and violence replaced |
| universal man had broad interests. He strived to | | | | humanism?The answers to these questions are a |
| know something about everything as he was not | | | | resounding NO.Precisely because the individual is |
| sure just where he would find the key to unlock | | | | lost in our modern society, the need for universal |
| a maze of doors confining the human spirit.This | | | | men is urgent.We have too many special pleaders |
| curiosity sparked an age of discovery. Columbus, | | | | guiding us up blind channels. The universal men of |
| Magellan, and Vasco Da Gama found unknown | | | | our age are yet but a vanguard.Others must step |
| lands across unknown seas. It was the beginning | | | | forward to share the responsibility and satisfaction |
| of the long drive to internationalism still in its early, | | | | of constructive involvement.Every person owes it |
| painful stages today.Curiosity, aided by creative | | | | to himself and his society to develop further his |
| ability, also inspired the invention of the telescope, | | | | universal four Cs. There is fun and satisfaction in |
| the microscope, printing and gun powder. We may | | | | doing so.Get curious about everything. Buy a |
| debate the merits of these technological advances | | | | telescope. Read the Great Books. Go to a political |
| but there is no doubt they profoundly | | | | rally. Visit a ghetto. Join a discussion group. Travel. |
| transformed our lives.The creative urge to speak | | | | Attend Council meetings. Host a foreign exchange |
| universally brought the start of our great body of | | | | student.Develop your creative instincts. Take art |
| vernacular literature. For the first time authors | | | | lessons. Study photography. Go to concerts. Learn |
| wrote for the common man, in the language of | | | | to play the banjo. Join the church choir. Build a bird |
| the market place. Fiction was born for the sole | | | | house. Polish stones. Plant a garden. Lead a Boy |
| purpose of giving pleasure in reading. Shakespeare | | | | Scout troop.Acquire new craft skills outside your |
| shaped drama into a new art form.Painters and | | | | own vocation. Take apart and reassemble an |
| sculptors, architects and craftsmen -- all were | | | | alarm clock. Go skiing. Learn to sail. Tie trout flies. |
| consumed with the fire of creativity. Art evolved | | | | Join a toastmaster's club. Make pottery. Take up |
| for the pure sake of beauty. Pleasing proportions | | | | square dancing. Play billiards. Practice karate. Fix |
| and colors were applied to everything from | | | | toys for invalid children.The first three Cs of the |
| swords to palaces.Pride in craftsmanship was the | | | | universal man, however, are only exercises which |
| hall mark of the universal man. He not only | | | | strengthen his individualism and "tunes him in" to |
| studied, and designed new works but set about | | | | the aspirations of others.It teaches him through |
| to make his own tools and carry his own | | | | activity and involvement to recognize the main |
| mortar.Michelangelo quarried the marble for his | | | | thrust of the human spirit at his particular place |
| magnificent Pieta, and ground his own pigments | | | | and time. It helps him determine what is truth and |
| for the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine | | | | what is pretense - what is responsibility and what |
| Chapel.Such versatility in workmanship led to a | | | | is hoodlumism.In short, consideration for others is |
| cross-fertilization of ideas - skill in several fields. | | | | the ultimate contribution the Universal Man can |
| Thus, Da Vinci could create the Mona Lisa and the | | | | make to society.All of us have the potential of |
| first war tank from the same fertile mind. He | | | | universality. The heroes of old were products of |
| de-signed flying machines, water filtration plants | | | | their times. The question is, have we the |
| and sonatas with equal ease.The thing that | | | | motivation to share our concern with the |
| brought all these driving forces together was the | | | | impoverished, the disillusioned and the |
| fourth C of the universal man - | | | | undereducated of the world? Most particularly, can |
| consideration.Consideration for the other man. This | | | | we help others in an unassuming and practical |
| was the beginning of the humanist movement - | | | | manner - putting emotion and personal recognition |
| of individualism - of the transcendent worth of a | | | | entirely aside?We have enough bleeding hearts |
| single person.Falling under the attack of humanism | | | | who wail and beat themselves on the chest - not |
| were the remnants of feudalism, dogmatism, | | | | enough broadly concerned citizens to pitch in with |
| reliance on authority in spiritual and scientific | | | | their skills and influence to make meaningful |
| matters, censorship of thought, religious | | | | changes within the framework of reality.We can |
| intolerance and restrictions of trade and | | | | shape our world for ourselves and future |
| commerce.The concept of courtesy was born. | | | | generations by taking a constructive part in |
| And respect for womanhood. The moral qualities | | | | solving the problems of our day. Our inaction will |
| of honesty, loyalty and consideration for others | | | | allow the riff raft of society to suppress us.The |
| were planted in our culture.The universal man was | | | | challenges were never clearer.The potential |
| tolerant of the shortcomings of other men, | | | | satisfaction never greater.The place to start is |
| recognizing his own. He listened to the ideas and | | | | here.The time to start is now.Lindsey Williams is a |
| opinions of others seriously as he sought ways of | | | | Sun columnist who can be contacted at:Website: |
| adapting all the good he could find into a larger | | | | with several hundred of Lin's Editorial & At Large |
| whole.For the first time, the universal man | | | | articles written over 40 years.Also featured in its |
| discovered his social consciousness. He created | | | | entirety is Lin's groundbreaking book "Boldly |
| the institutions of hospitals, orphanages and poor | | | | Onward," that critically analyzes and develops |
| houses. He came to believe that although he was | | | | theories about the original Spanish explorers of |
| not his brother's keeper, he was his brother's | | | | America. |