Alexander von Humboldt

In his book Brave Companions, David Mccullough dedicates one of his biographical shorts to the extraordinary life of Alexander von Humboldt.
Through Mccullough, I knew I had gained a great friend and aquaintance, indeed, one of histories' greatest.
In his twenties, Humboldt set off with a companion named Aimè Bonpland, for South America; backed by his newly-inherited fortune, and his inquisitive mind.
Over the next five years, Humboldt explored the Amazon, hiked through the Central Andes of Peru, attempted to climb Mt Chimborazo (nearly succeding), and simultaneously collected countless specimens and observations. After a succesful, but dangerous trip throughout the Amazon (they had, among other things, experimented with electric eels, receiving massive electric shocks for their pains), Humboldt and Bonpland sent their wealth of aquired specimens back, along with a letter explaining they didn't expect to survive further exploration; and then, continued on.

Later in life, Humboldt wrote the 5-volume encyclopedia called "Kosmos", bringing together the various branches of learning in the world, into one vast compendium. He died, at age 89, still working on volume 5.

I admire Humboldt for his obvious passion for learning. His prolific life was filled with the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. He was a giant of his day, but seems forgotten, relegated to that class which lived in the quaintly dim light of this painting, long, long ago.

Specialization has created some problems. I cannot know everything. However, I hope that I can somehow adopt the attitude of Humboldt, the attitude that motivated him to push through mosquito infested jungles, and over frozen tundra above 19,000 feet. May learning, and pushing the boundaries of my field (whether academic or physical) become my life's vocation.