A number of friends and family members have told Pem that he is a Renaissance Man. He has certainly never made such a claim, but is quietly chuffed that his interest in many things, and his pursuit of knowledge and skills together with his curiosity and risk–taking seem to mark him out from others.
He is concerned that many bright people do not push the boundaries and so never discover what they might have achieved. Why this so he is unsure, but maybe it is because in present day society one can find security, comfort and a degree of indulgence and so decide that this is surely sufficient for the good life.
In Pem’s terms it is entirely not so. It is immensely better to have travelled, and at full throttle, than to have arrived. Since in arriving at some preset objective, and then stopping, one does not remain stationary but then starts the backward slide.
He remains forever thankful to some special fellow travellers, that small handful, who have provided support and impetus for him to continue to achieve and move forward.
