Hit the Road, Jack

Deer Tick – Baltimore Blues No. 1

Jack of all trades, master of none. It’s a commonly understood phrase that’s used uncommonly.

They exist, but it’s incredible difficult to spot one. Jacks are individuals that manage to have raw talent at just about everything they put their minds to but rarely, if ever, develop this talent. They tend to lack a passion for anything in particular. Not to say that they aren’t looking. Instead, many simply have been unable to find something in which they are interested in enough to drop their meandering and settle.

They flow from experience to experience like the kids in that awesome Capri Sun commercial:

Jacks in Action

So why is the phrase so uncommon? Likely, after thinking about it, you probably know or have met an individual who fits this description. If not, think harder. They’re around, and there are quite a few of them. So why don’t we regularly acknowledge them?

At first thought, this would seem to come from jealousy. In reality, though, they legitimately remain unnoticed as a Jack through most, if not all, of their existence. Consider this: if someone is fairly good at whatever they try but they rarely pursue anything in depth, won’t there always be someone else around who has pursued whatever that is passionately? Won’t that person overshadow the Jack, since they are a master at that thing?

You can find a master of essentially anything. Whether it’s a sport, art, or profession, there are individuals who are passionate about it. These individuals are masters of their craft, devoting most of their energy and time to that specific thing. These people shine brightly in their chosen world, and this is revered by our culture. Devoting yourself to something, anything, is considered a point of pride for us. Consequently, those who do not devote themselves to anything in particular are considered to be still looking for what it is that they will devote themselves to.

The idea of a Jack is not just ignored, it’s neglected completely. In fact, declaring yourself a Jack would be considered narcissistic by the vast majority of people, as the immediate reaction to someone claiming they are good at something is to assume they are passionate about it. Claiming to be a Jack would be to claim you are passionate about everything, which is entirely unreasonable. To make it more interesting, Jacks have the same concept of what it means to be good at something, since they are part of our society. This means that the Jacks themselves are unaware of their own identity, smothering the possibility of them identifying themselves as such.

This leads to a self-defining issue amongst the Jacks. Instead of a sub-culture you get stray wanderers seeking something they can really devote themselves to, a “hidden talent”. Many never will believe they never find it, while the lucky few will realize they’ve been a master all along. A master of adaptability.