I remember watching a television show with my dad when I was younger (or watching my dad watch a television show). The protagonist was a man named Jarod* who possessed the uncanny ability to successfully assume different professions and/or expertise without schooling or training. He was called 'The Pretender,' (giving the show its name) and though sometimes he was a heart surgeon and other times an aeronautical engineer, he was always on the same quest to unfold the mystery of his own life and purpose. Because of his experience and well rounded knowledge base he was able to relate to and help countless individuals.
This idea of a modern day 'Renaissance Man' who is free from the limits of his own isolated expertise has resonated with me long since the television show was cancelled. I'm by no means as knowledgeable or as capable as 'Jarod', but it's kind of an ideal that anyone can look to. A Pretender is anyone who seeks to understand the world they live in; how it works and why people do what they do. It is anyone who seeks to expand his knowledge and cross apply it.
*The name 'Jarod' is an alternate spelling of the traditional 'Jared'. It's spelled that way because it's the mid nineties and it's cool and dramatic to be unique and spell things differently.
