COMMENT : three separate paragraphs
1) What is the single most impressive talent Leonardo was gifted with, from your perspective? Why/
2) What is the gift, out of the many Leonardo had, you would like to possess in the same measure? What would you do with it?
3) We show disdain for sport figures who take "performance enhancing" substances. What if there was a (secret) miracle pill that miraculously allowed you to excel in the area you most care about? Would you take it? Would you do it to become the next Truman Capote? Or Frank Lloyd Wright? Or Einstein?
REPLY to the most intriguing answers.
The single most impressive skill Leonardo possessed was his incredible ability in the arts. As a painter he was commissioned to paint some of the most famous works of art in the world. These art works have fascinated generations of people because of his incredible technical skills. He was able to imitate feelings, expressions, movements, and illicit feelings in his audience that other artists could only aspire to do. I am not skilled in art in any form, and especially not in painting, and harshly judged the unique skills a person must possess in order to achieve such great work and for that reason his art skills are the most impressive.
ReplyDeleteLeonardo is quite impressive and acquired many skills that some people only hope to excel in during their lifetime the way he did. Of all the skills he possessed I am most envious of his mathematics skills. I am such a poor performer in mathematics overall and although I excel in math theory based work I am not as great in all other regards. His skills as a mathematician are invaluable because the information you learn is relative and fluid and almost never changes. Math theorists challenge the natural laws but hardly ever make adjustments to what was established decades ago. It is a skill that lasts beyond a lifetime and is a great tool to utilize professionally in the modern world. Areas of expertise that include strong math knowledge like economics, finance, and even business are some of the highest earning fields that we could hope to work in.
It is a tricky consideration in regard to performance enhancing substances. If their were a magic pill that could improve my overall performance in my desired field I would be incredibly intimated to take it. Mostly because I can't get myself to even swallow a tylenol tablet but more seriously because the unknown consequences of its use. We often imagine our lives and ourselves in the most optimal form and strive to be that everyday but what is we actually achieved it? Personally the unintended consequences would be enough to turn me off to the idea. If I work as diligently and meaningfully as I can now then there is no reason that I could not achieve an optimal mode of life for myself. We all have unlocked potential within ourselves it comes down to your willingness to achieve great feats without the use of a supplemental substance. We all might be curious what our lives could be like if we tried the supplements but is that really the way we hope to achieve our goals, by the cheat of a supplement?
Crystal,
DeleteI didn't even consider the unintended consequences of a miracle pill-induced path to fame. I guess it could be overwhelming to try to explain my talents as a scientist/engineer if I never went to school for them. Perhaps it would be an empty success at first, but being able to use the pill for the greater good would be worth it to me.
From my perspective, the single most impressive talent Leonardo was gifted with was a gift of sight that was precise and unique. He was able to look at faces in a crowd and see the precise way --in the precise moment --that a melancholy expression turns to a smile. He was able to interpret what he saw in the way a bird flew and it suddenly was an idea for a flying machine. As a young man, he saw the need for oil paint to uplift the angel in the painting. He was able to see his products accurately being sure they matched what his mind was seeing. It was Leonardo’s brain that imagined inventions that transcended time, yet it was the way he was able to look at things in real time and see accurately, error-free that is enviable.
ReplyDeleteI would like to possess Leonardo’s uncanny gift of being able to observe, process, apply, and produce something that would be useful for the future. His ability to recognize what was important enough in his world to dedicate his talents toward, Is very admirable. Even though, at times, Leonardo was torn to where his attention should go, it was only because he saw the possibilities with so many things. I would dedicate my talent to preservation of our Earth. I have seen a prehistoric glacier calving before my eyes on a trip to Alaska. It was immense and awesome in its cruciality. Also looming is the potential extinction of many species. For these reasons, I would dedicate my gifts to save our home.
If there was a secret miracle pill that miraculously allowed me to excel in solving problems that threaten our lives, I would take it in a New York second. I would not do it for personal fame, and most likely not in art. I would rather be a scientist that is able to enhance collaboration between progress and preservation of resources.
Sorry, my above post did not indent paragraphs, so here it is formatted into 3 distinct paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective, the single most impressive talent Leonardo was gifted with was a gift of sight that was precise and unique. He was able to look at faces in a crowd and see the precise way --in the precise moment --that a melancholy expression turns to a smile. He was able to interpret what he saw in the way a bird flew and it suddenly was an idea for a flying machine. As a young man, he saw the need for oil paint to uplift the angel in the painting. He was able to see his products accurately being sure they matched what his mind was seeing. It was Leonardo’s brain that imagined inventions that transcended time, yet it was the way he was able to look at things in real time and see accurately, error-free that is enviable.
I would like to possess Leonardo’s uncanny gift of being able to observe, process, apply, and produce something that would be useful for the future. His ability to recognize what was important enough in his world to dedicate his talents toward, Is very admirable. Even though, at times, Leonardo was torn to where his attention should go, it was only because he saw the possibilities with so many things. I would dedicate my talent to preservation of our Earth. I have seen a prehistoric glacier calving before my eyes on a trip to Alaska. It was immense and awesome in its cruciality. Also looming is the potential extinction of many species. For these reasons, I would dedicate my gifts to save our home.
If there was a secret miracle pill that miraculously allowed me to excel in solving problems that threaten our lives, I would take it in a New York second. I would not do it for personal fame, and most likely not in art. I would rather be a scientist that is able to enhance collaboration between progress and preservation of resources.
It's nice to get a different perspective on the "miracle pill." I guess we approached the question differently and responded that I would never want to face the unintended consequences of that action. I like that you disagreed with me and approached it from a position of wanting to help others but there would still be unintended consequences even if the intention was pure. In that case I would say that you would giving the ultimate self-sacrifice in order to help others while possibly harming yourself.
DeleteThe most impressive talent Leonardo was gifted with would have to be his perspective to capture such detail. Whether it is with his artwork or just his sculpting skills his drive to capture such detail blows my mind. Years ago they didn’t have the technology we have today to help magnify the details wanting to be shown in art; Leonardo had to do all of that just through the looks of his own two eyes. It amazes me, because it truly shows with his paintings that the smallest part of the painting can capture the most detail.
ReplyDeleteI would like to receive the gift of being a talented artist. I cannot draw to save my life and it doesn’t have to be all of the talented gift just enough to make a person look more like a person than a stick figure. The talent of being an artist sometimes goes unnoticed and if more people were able to carry such a gift the world would be viewed from so many different aspects of color and life. I would make sure to express the joy and empowerment that can be spread around the world to leave such an amazing impact like most of Leonardos work has left. I would be used to my advantage to show the world that many hidden talents don’t have to be hidden people should be proud and willing to show others what they are capable of.
The “miracle pill” to receive such a gifted talent would be accepted with multiple questions to follow. Do we have it for life? Is it limited? If we were to receive it; is there consequences that follow? Sometimes taking something that could give us everything we ever wanted in the world could end up making us the most miserable. Even though the world will be at the base of our feet it is up to us as our own person to walk the path we want. We make mistakes we have to learn to face them and make them better. So yes, would I take the miracle pill of course, Do I need it; not so much. Because living a happy life is seeing that the handwork pays off in the end, not handed out for us with a price to pay.
I was so excited about the thought of taking the pill that I did not consider the questions you have proposed. You definitely see this from a different perspective.
DeleteHey Bruna,
DeleteI found what you wrote really interesting. I agree with you about becoming an artist. I am terrible at art/being creative.
The single most impressive talent of Leonardo, from my perspective, is his ability to observe nature and reproduce inventions based on it. With this talent, it has made life more comfortable for the world because he invented most of the things we take for granted today including airplanes.
ReplyDeleteI wish to possess the same ability to invent. I would invent a way to prolong lives and, as a way for us to access 100% of our brains. Wishful thinking, I know.
If there was a secret miracle pill that miraculously allowed me to excel in this area, I would most definitely take it because it would allow me to make a difference in the world. Although, I assume a pill like this would come with its own side effects I simply would not care because my life is not supposed to last forever. Therefore, I would happily take the opportunity to change the world.
I think it's interesting that you're interested in accessing 100% of our brains. That made me think about prolonging life in order for us all to achieve spiritual enlightenment on earth. But then perhaps, those two things are one in the same.
DeleteFrom my perspective, Leonardo’s most impressive talent was his ability to create so many different inventions from his imagination. Yes, he was inspired by nature, but but he knew/taught himself the mathematics needed to make such machines workable. And it’s impressive that he didn’t necessarily construct or test all of these inventions, and that hundreds of years later they have been found to be inspired working creations.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had Leonardo’s audacity to carve up cadavers. I would love to know first hand the inner workings of the human body. To be able to actually physically investigate with my hands the different systems of the body would be a huge learning opportunity. He just went for it, and subsequently his findings influenced science, medicine, and specifically his art.
Of course I would love to take this performance enhancing miracle pill in order to feel what it was like to excel further in my field. But I can’t get over the fact that I didn’t get to the peak naturally- born out of hard, painstaking work. I think you truly learn life’s lessons when you have to work for it, and you can’t truly own something if you didn’t go through a transformation to get it. And a drug transformation is cheating.
These were my thoughts as well. I would feel like I did not accomplish anything if it was just given to me on a silver platter. But if you look at it as a way of enhancing your mind beyond what you thought was capable of yourself, I would take it in a heartbeat. The pill doesn't do the work for you, it'll just make you extremely good at the work you're doing. I guess it also matters what area that you wish to excel in.
DeleteIn my opinion the single most impressive talent that Leonardo was gifted was his visual memory and perception on things. It blows my mind that he was able to “see the world in slow motion.” In other words, he was able to see things that others could not. I am fascinated with this because I have terrible memory and for someone to view things and recreate it in art work really amazes me.
ReplyDeleteThe gift that I would like to possess from Leonardo is the artist in him. I really appreciate art because I am horrible at doing/recreating art. I’ve never grew up to understand or imagine art so I would take Lenonardo’s creative mind in a heartbeat. If I were able to possess this incredible artistic ability I would definitely use it to express myself and show the world the emotions inside me on a canvas or with a piece of stone.
If there was a secret miracle pill that miraculously allowed me to excel in making a difference in world or the lives of others, I would definitely take it. For example, I am going to school to become a Speech Language Pathologist. I have high hopes of helping people when it comes to their speech. If I can somehow someway take a miracle pill and change that, I definitely would. My goal in life is to better myself and the lives of others and if there was a quick route to doing my part to make the world a better place I would take it and never look back.
1) Leonardo's most impressive talent is his intellect. He has learned various things over the years, designed and built many machines things which almost seemed impossible at the time, discovered and explored ideas that seemed extraordinary. His intellect showed me that one's imagination is the limit. I believe this is his best feature because he has the mind for vision. It is a trait that a lot of people should have nowadays.
ReplyDelete2) The gift/trait that I'd like to get from Leonardo would be his intellect. I aspire to be an engineer with the hopes of building a great future, just like he did back in his days. I want to join the Air Force and the military seems like an opportunity to build new things.
3) If there was such thing as a miracle pill, I'd definitely take it. I have a knack for science fiction and a lot of things that seem impossible would now obviously be right around the corner. Ready to be created and improved. The future will be right in front of us.
Hi Leif,
DeleteI am very impressed by Leonardo's ability for logical thinking and his intellect. It is truly fascinating, how many inventions were powered by his mind. Having intellect like his, is really a great aspiration.
I find Leonardo's most significant talent to be his comprehension of physics and engineering. The fact that he created blueprints for a parachute, an underwater suit, several flying machines, and a tank as well as many other inventions hundreds of years before they would be created is astonishing. He had a mind like no one elses of that era and his inventions were beyond what anyone thought would be possible at the time.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have Leonardo's memory. I have the worst memory out of everyone I know. A lot of the time, I have people asking me if I remember something that I did with them and I have no idea. This is especially annoying when it comes to write screenplays because one of the most important things in a screenplay and most writing is writing about something that relates to you. I would love to look back at my past experiences in as much detail as Leonardo could because most my memories are very limited.
3) I think I would but not right away. I would only take it if I know I can't do it without it. I would want to try and excel as a film director and if I fail or am not good enough to be a success, I would take it. I believe some people are just born naturally talented like Leonardo, I don't think I'm one of those people so if this pill were to make me a Scorcese or a Kubrick, I'd do it.
I think, that Leonardo's most fascinating talent was his vision of perspective and art. I believe, that it became the universal standard for art and architecture, Without it we would not have seem beautiful cities or the works of art. Harmony, defined by Leonardo became the way to define and describe beauty in mathematical terms. I personally am fascinated by Leonardo's abilities to bring art and science together.
ReplyDeleteIf I would get to choose one of Leonardo's talents, I would choose his ability to draw. I was always envious of people, who had steady hand and who could describe graphically their vision of the world.
I would do that, since I don't believe, that wanting to be better in any way is a crime. I understand, that in competitive sports, that could be an issue, but in other areas of life, I think it is acceptable. A lot of people work hard to get ahead in life and if there would be a way to aid that, I would only support that. As long as person is motivated and tries hard, some extra help is not an issue, in my opinion.
I think the single most impressive talent Leonardo had was his curiosity toward nature. Because of that, Leonardo was able to put his effort and accomplish a lot.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have the same art talent as him. I like painting and I wish I could make remarkable paintings that not for selling money but for people to enjoy.
I might not take the miracle pill because it is like cheating during an exam that would not bring any benefit to me but would only hurt me.
Hi Qian, I'm the opposite from you. I don't like to draw or paint because I don't think I'm good at it.
DeleteThe most impressive talent Leonardo was gifted was his observation skills. I do believe that Leonardo is capable to see the world in a slow motion. I think the reason Leonardo was involved in almost every area of invention, is his love for nature. His surrounding world had become a building block to his invention. He uses his observation and visual memory to recognize the significance of the natural law of all his work. It is a shame that I never consider taking a closer observation of my surrounding or nature. Instead, my attention is always focusing on a personal level. I am now interested in practicing my observation skills to make see what difference it can make to my life.
ReplyDeleteI would like to have Leonardo’s visual memory. I want to use this gift in a personal way. I consider myself bad with memories. There are books, people, scenery and moments that I wish to remember in detail forever. Then I don't have to worried about losing these experiences.
I will take the miracle pill, because I know I will definitely use this power to make changes in this world or at least changes people’s life. All my life, I never attempted in much of creation or invention. If I acquired the ability from this miracle pill, I will use it towards invention.
Agree, as his attention to detail excels compared to many of his time.
Delete1) I think the most impressive was his attention to detail. Not only was Leonardo an engineer, but he was a great artist as well. I admire raw talent, and Leonardo was one of a kind. Such examples include his drawing of a feather with detail to the motion of it.
ReplyDelete2)One skill I wish I could have is the creativity to think far above what a ordinary human being does. Being an an engineer is no easy task, especially in his time when much information was relatively new.
3)For me it would be the ability to remain focused. I think for myself, I find it difficult to remain focused for and extended period of time, and to gain this ability, I think, would be of great help to me
The most impressive talent Leonardo was gifted with is his ability to observe motion with is bare eyes. His drawing skills is amazing with a great amount of details. He was able to use nature to invent things. He would describe his drawing with details written out.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have Leonardo's vision. I wish I can see things in slow motion like him so life doesn't seem like it passes by so quick. With his vision I would be able to see things in great amount of details. He uses mathematic for many things.
If there are such thing as the miracle pill I would want the invisible pill. I want to be invisible to see how others act when they think I'm not there. People act different when you are present and when you are not. I want to know who's true to me or who's not.