I could not understand why it was so difficult to pick a major in college forty years ago.  I went two years and eventually dropped out without picking a major.

Decades later I realized I was a “generalist”:  I wanted to know everything, about everything.  All my life I have read omnivorously.  And anything that I came across and interested me, no matter the subject.  I also read in quick bursts.

What I did not realize for a long time I was laying down the foundation to be a writer.  To be a writer you need a broad base of knowledge to draw upon.  There are few areas if any I am an expert of but I do know a bit here and a bit there.

The world is really divided into generalists and specialists.  And both need each other.  A liberal education still has value.  The world still needs someone to see the big picture.  Otherwise we get lost in the details.