dilettant

my aspiration is to be a true dilettant, someone who "knows a little bit about everything and a lot about nothing". as a kid i knew i'd never be a cognoscente or a savante (or, you know, i would've known it if i'd known those words), and i was fine with it. i think young, preteen me wrote in her journal once that rather than being great at something, she wanted to be "okay" at everything. i wanted to try everything and to be able to talk about anything, and i still have that mindset. it's a mindset that suits my somewhat flakey personality, and challenges my naturally inhibited nature.
it's also a mindset that makes me really good at trivial pursuit.
what's the one thing that stands in my way?
i'll tell you.
history.
all those interesting dates and fascinating places... i don't get it. it doesn't stay in my head. i've been researching world war II this past week (work is seriously boring), and as i read about it i keep thinking to myself, "i had to have learned this before. there's no way i didn't know this", but it still felt all shiney and new inside my head.
so here i sit, able to sing the canadian national anthem, tell you the pathagorean theorum, explain how the game theory relates to dating, explain the byzentine influence on art,
and still feel vaguely surprised to read that pearl harbor was in hawaii.