Many people strive to become specialists.
When entering university, we are required to choose a single department and study one narrow subject deeply.
But life is made of many different pieces, and our quality of life depends not on one piece alone, but on how well we combine them.
Life Is More Than a Single Discipline
For example, studying Japanese language in depth or exploring botany can be valuable.
However, by themselves, these subjects do not sustain our daily lives.
We also need:
- Healthy food to maintain our bodies
- Financial literacy to support our lifestyle
- Wisdom in how to use money to create a meaningful life
Today, specialized knowledge is everywhere—on the internet and instantly accessible through AI.
But true learning only comes through real experience, especially when multiple experiences are combined, allowing us to see the bigger picture.
The Value of Direct Experience
Direct experience teaches us strong emotions—pain, joy, fear, excitement.
For example:
Even if an investment is perfect in theory, you cannot understand the psychological pressure of holding a large position until you actually do it.
Pure knowledge in your head will never be enough when the stress of reality strikes.
That is why even the smartest people do not always win in investing.
Those who can endure the psychological burden of the market are often the ones who survive.
This is like baseball: someone who knows the rules in detail will not necessarily become a player like Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge.
A Changing World and Universal Patterns
In our rapidly changing world, even past experience can suddenly lose relevance.
But when you integrate diverse knowledge, experiences, and the flow of history, universal patterns sometimes emerge.
These patterns can be applied to new and unfamiliar events.
When you recognize a situation as “similar to something I’ve seen before,” you can quickly ride the next wave.
Such timeless patterns cannot be seen by immersing yourself in only one area.
They appear only when you expand your interests, step into new fields, and experience them firsthand.
Beyond Money
Some people believe that money encompasses everything.
But history shows countless times when money lost its value completely.
Why, then, do assets with no intrinsic utility—mere materials—sometimes skyrocket in value?
It is the same as being hungry: money itself cannot be eaten.
Money has no true value on its own. Its value depends entirely on the context in which it is used.
Final Thoughts
Specialization can be powerful, but becoming too specialized is dangerous.
True wisdom comes not only from knowledge, but from diverse experiences, emotional resilience, and the ability to recognize universal patterns that apply even in changing times.
