Rise of The PolyPaths
Giving Meaning to Life through Multiple Paths
How do you respond to the standard conversation starter of What do you do? Personally, I have always struggled with this question. I “do” many things, and I “work” in multiple capacities so what should I talk about? What would give my new-formed acquaintance the best introduction to me? What parts of my identity should I bring to this conversation, or to any conversation for that matter?
The question of what we do directly ties into our identity. Aarya will say that she is a doctor rather than saying she practices medicine, Bibin will say he is a digital marketer, Chen will say they are a lawyer. But what if that doesn’t fully capture what they “do''. For example, I would call myself a techie since currently I work as a privacy engineer at Google. But if I describe myself as just that, it feels incomplete.
There has always been another integral part to my identity: music. It has been a constant path in my life, whether it’s learning, performing or creating music. But if someone describes me as a musician, that’s incomplete too. Together, privacy engineer + musician describe “what I do” to a large extent, but that’s still not the complete story. I also associate myself with the identities of a researcher, a writer, a creative and most recently, a parent - which has come to be a big part of my life now.
What if you don’t want to be defined by a single profession or tag? What if you like to pursue multiple paths in life and learn, grow in multiple dimensions? What if your story makes sense only with multiple interleaved paths, all of which bring purpose and joy to your life? You are not alone in this need for a holistic identity - You are a polypath!
Who is a PolyPath?
Polypath is my attempt at a new term coined to capture one’s holistic identity. Polypaths are defined by three characteristics:
1] Pursuit of Poly (Multiple) Paths
A polypath pursues multiple paths in life passionately. Each path is a serious undertaking that requires consistent time commitment and active engagement. This time could be spent in the framework of a job, or with a mentor/coach/guru who is ahead of you on that path, or alongside a community pursuing that path or with oneself. Livelihood and recognition could be possible on the paths as you build expertise, but is not a strict requirement.
The paths themselves have systematic knowledge and depth accumulated over time which a polypath can gradually absorb as they walk the path. For instance, a life path could be learning the piano or tennis, a financial forecasting job, graphic design apprenticeship, water conservation initiatives for the local community, yoga meditation, free-lancing in digital marketing, gluten-free baking, and a polypath could choose to pursue any subset of these.
2] Growth & Excellence
A polypath loves to learn, grow and excel on each path; sometimes also with the hope to contribute to the path. They like to actively challenge themselves to get better. For example, a polypath may be interested in both biology and basketball from childhood. As they continue growing on these paths, they could choose to do a PhD in neurobiology with original contributions to the field, while simultaneously being drafted for the NBA and developing a new throw technique in the game. Another polypath may start learning the ukulele, keep practicing and building skills consistently - may even compose a new song one day while in parallel freelancing as a designer.
3] Multi-Dimensional Identity
Polypaths consider their identity to be defined by multiple facets and feel the need to engage with a subset of them at any phase in life to make them feel whole. For example, a polypath may pursue adventurous rock-climbing alongside a day job in data science, another polypath may pursue contemporary dance and drums - they feel the need to acknowledge both their life paths in any relevant discussions. Both give significant meaning to their existence. They are often uncomfortable to be boxed in a specific profession or tied to a singular identity.
PolyPaths Have Always Been Around
The term polypath draws inspiration from the Renaissance notion of the polymath in which being proficient in multiple disciplines was considered an ideal to aspire towards1 2. While we revere the polymaths Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, etc. as geniuses of the past, their pursuit of multifaceted knowledge hasn't been fully embraced today due to the ideological shift towards specialization3. The polypath can be seen as an attempt to revive the spirit of the polymath for the modern age, seeking to integrate diverse interests and skills into a fulfilling and multifaceted identity.
Even if we think about traditional professions such as a doctor or a professor, they entail multiple “paths” that may be disjoint. For example, a professor in itself is a combination of a thought leader, a researcher, a lecturer, a mentor, a scientific writer. So even as part of a single profession we are typically embracing multiple identities and paths. Arguably, in this case, these paths lead to broadly one “professional” goal such as being an accomplished professor, but for polypaths the purpose is often living your fullest life and giving justice to all their inner callings.
All of us are already pursuing multiple relationship paths in life. We all identify as some subset of a child, a sibling, a spouse, a parent, a friend, a community-member, a mentor. What makes these identities a path in itself is that ideally, we are constantly evolving and working on being a better parent, better friend, etc. Each relationship path holds the potential for infinite joy and meaning to life! Even being part of a specific community or cause (e.g. veganism, AI for social good) can often be significant parts of our identity.
Our identities together encapsulate the richness of our multidimensional life experiences. They also evolve with our pursuits. For example, when I studied computer science or was doing my PhD, I used to relate more to the professions of a computer scientist or an academic, but now I identify more as a privacy techie or researcher. When we expect one label to completely define us, we are often losing valuable insights on our complete identity and history.
Why You Might Already Be a PolyPath
We often indulge in hobbies to relax and take a break from the daily grind. But it is human nature to want to grow and get better; we have an innate desire to learn4 5. Let's say someone enjoys gardening as a hobby. They may start off with a simple garden bed with basic vegetables. As they continue on the path, they may want to learn about different types of soils, experiment with plant varieties, and eventually build complex garden landscapes. As we take an approach of learning and progress, over time we find deeper satisfaction in any ‘hobby’, transforming it into a life path of personal growth and fulfillment.
On the other hand, viewing your day job as one of your multiple life paths can also be helpful. Research has shown that individuals who approach their work as an opportunity for personal growth and learning are more likely to experience greater job satisfaction, work engagement, and overall well-being6 7 8. Indeed, there will be tight deadlines and urgent assignments at work, but a long-term perspective can help us have a healthier relationship with work.
Pursuit of multiple paths often helps each other. For example, at tech companies as well as during my PhD, my superiors always praised my creativity and my ability to connect seemingly unrelated things. I am sure that is because of my artistic and creative proclivities. On the other hand, I use the discipline, productivity frameworks and even the strategic thinking from my tech job towards my creative pursuits which help me craft a purpose and make tangible goals for my concerts or musical releases. When you are progressing on multiple paths, there are often skills directly or indirectly transferable helping you build a unique interdisciplinary perspective.
The polypathic approach is also helpful when thinking about switching paths in our career. We may be feeling stuck or saturated at our current job or may be wanting to try something new. Switching into a new position right away may not be an option for everyone. In that case, we can think of our aspired switch as a new life path that we can start pursuing in parallel to our current job and once we feel ready, we can embrace the path more fully. This is how a lot of people have bootstrapped their startups or businesses.
Most importantly, being a polypath means embracing diverse aspects of your identity and actively incorporating all the pursuits that bring you joy. It’s a lifestyle of being mindful of what makes you feel most alive, taking the time and energy to commit to it, learning and enjoying the progress on that path, and living your truest expression of life. Wouldn't we all elevate our lives by embracing such a lifestyle?
Why does the World need PolyPaths?
Many of the world's innovations and foundational knowledge can be traced to the diverse pursuits of polypaths. In 6th century BCE, Indian scholar Sushruta wrote the first known groundbreaking treatise on medical surgery9 which includes chapters on anesthesia, cataracts and even plastic surgery - integrating his knowledge across anatomy, pharmacology, optics and ethics. Hypatia from Roman Egypt is credited with constructing scientific instruments like the hydrometer and astrolabe. Her ability to bridge mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy made her a leading intellectual figure in her time10. The world is indebted to the prolific contributions of Da Vinci to art, sculpture, design, human anatomy, civil engineering11 combining his mastery from myriad fields.
Polypaths are in a unique position to make connections across seemingly unrelated fields and have interdisciplinary insights. Steve Jobs founded a visionary company and created revolutionary products combining his insights on paths of technology and design aesthetics. Marie Curie innovated across physics and chemistry to discover radioactive materials that have had profound effects on the fields of nuclear energy, medicine. Ayah Bdeir12 combines her knowledge from mathematics, electronics and sociology in her company littleBits whose goal is to break down complex technologies so that anyone can build, prototype, and invent.
Today, we stand at the precipice of a new post-pandemic era shaped by artificial intelligence. The recent global crisis has served as a catalyst for introspection, prompting many to re-evaluate their priorities, careers, and life design. Just as the Industrial Age demanded specialization, the post-pandemic AI era presents a unique opportunity for a resurgence of the polypath. The changing employment landscape underscores the importance of lifelong learning and the ability to carve out unique paths in an interdisciplinary world. The time is ripe to unlock our full potential as polypaths towards a better version of ourselves and thus, a better world :)
Burke, Peter. The Polymath: a cultural history from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag. Yale University Press, 2020.
Araki, Michael Espindola. "Polymathy: a new outlook." Journal of Genius and Eminence 3.1 (2018): 66-82.
George, Kenneth D. "Concentration and specialization in industry." The Journal of Industrial Economics (1972): 107-121.
Berlyne, Daniel E. "Conflict, arousal, and curiosity." (1960).
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Mockałło, Zofia, and Maria Widerszal-Bazyl. "Role of job and personal resources in the appraisal of job demands as challenges and hindrances." PloS one 16.3 (2021): e0248148.
Marek, V. I. C. H. "Examination of Relationship Between Goal Orientation, Work Engagement and Self-Efficacy."
Kim, Minseo, and Terry A. Beehr. "Thriving on demand: Challenging work results in employee flourishing through appraisals and resources." International Journal of Stress Management 27.2 (2020): 111.
Bhishagratna, Kunja Lal, ed. An English translation of The Sushruta Samhita: based on original Sanskrit text. Vol. 2. author, 1911.
Watts, Edward Jay. Hypatia: the life and legend of an ancient philosopher. Oxford University Press, 2017.
West, John B. "Leonardo da Vinci: engineer, bioengineer, anatomist, and artist." American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology 312.3 (2017)
Could not have said it better! I was infact using the exact same words to explain to someone why I feel the expected single dimensional answer to “what do you do” makes me a little unhappy 😄