Jacks and Masters

Which would you prefer?


The Jack or the Master?


The Jack who covers all things. He covers all trades.  His hand stretches long and wide. He does not grip anything with wonderful facility but he is evenly spread among all things. He has a soft touch, but he can touch all things. He looks at everything with equal interest, but delves not deeper into one discipline.


Comparably, to the Master. 


The Master digs deep. He is at the deep end of things. Expertise is his main concern. A lot more narrow in coverage. But a lot more deeper in facility. Focus is the prime goal, and perfection is the greatest achievement. He has a heavy touch, but not all things are welcome to his concern. He looks at one or two with interest, and disregards the rest. However, he is a master of his discipline. 


Some say we can't be the 'Jack of all trades'. But I disagree. 


I think it depends on who we are as a person. I always think proverbs relate most to the person originally saying it. And if we happen to share the same personality as the speaker, then we fit perfectly into the proverb in question. 


I mean, not all people are masters in their own right. They have curiosity and thunder. They love learning new things, which can be totally unrelated to their earlier disciplines. People see them as Jacks and Fish-hooks. I see them as another kind of master: A master of coverage in the different knowledges. 


And there are some who are made to be the 'Masters'. They cannot live in indecisiveness. They need discipline, order, and depth. They can't focus on too many things. It will just blow their mind. They focus on one or two things and they stick to them. They go deep. Some too deep in fact, to become the obsessives. 


But whatever the choice is, bear in mind, the combination of the two creates the beauty we call life. Often the Jacks and the Masters walk together, either harmoniously or otherwise, to create the balance which leads to the working of this life. Also, bear in mind that one cannot be one or the other. Instead, it will be one or the other which will be dominant, but never one or the other absent. 


With that said, hopefully we can find the blend of the brew that works best for us. It is never too late to find out, and never too late to change.