We all know a “wizard” somewhere – maybe someone in your acquaintance is a “computer wizard” or “schmooze wizard”. We even have little automated assistants in our computers called “email wizards” or “setup wizards”. Because a “wizard” is basically someone who can do it all. Wizards have an encyclopedic knowledge of the most esoteric subjects, and physical experience with a wide range of skills. They figure prominently in fiction as well as in real life. Leonardo daVinci was a wizard. Isaac Newton, Imhotep, Aristotle, Isaac Asimov and Robert Anton Wilson, were all “wizards” of one kind or another.
But what makes a person a wizard? Is it the obsessive and ridiculously detailed knowledge of one specific subject? Not so much. What makes a person a wizard is when you’re in the elevator with them and it gets jammed, and he opens up your dry cleaning bag, fetches out a coat hanger and opens the emergency lock on the door so you can both get out. In short, it’s not just about having arcane knowledge of one subject, but of many. A wizard can literally do anything.
One of my favorite examples of this is in JRR Tolkein’s “The Hobbit”. Notice when the characters get captured by trolls, Gandalf doesn’t rescue them with his demonstrably awesome magic. He rescues them with ventriloquism, imitating one troll after another to keep them arguing until the sun came up. This brings me to my next point – not only did Gandalf have mastery of a pretty obscure skill, but he also knew enough about trolls to use their weakness to his advantage. A wizard knows his customer.
So, next time you’re bored why not pick up a new skill? It doesn’t have to be something dramatic, or even something you’re sure you’ll use. Try sign language, or lock picking, flying a helicopter or starting a fire with a bottle of water. These are all useful but obscure skills that just might save the day more than any number of spells.
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