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