“Far too many good brains have been afflicted by the pointless enthusiasm for useless knowledge.”
– Seneca
A few years ago, I was working in talk radio and I had the difficult task of trying to keep up with EVERYTHING…
NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA Football, hoops, baseball, PGA, NASCAR, Formula 1, Boxing, MMA and of course, horse racing… On top of that, I was always LIVE on the air so definitely needed to be well versed on current events and happenings in the world.
Needless to say, it was A LOT…
There was an element that was really cool; I could break down the Sharks 3rd line and tell you all about Stanford’s upcoming recruiting class… Not to mention, my gambling skills across all sports were DIALED IN. 🤫
Yet, it was a 24/7 job and I could never turn off. The fear of being uninformed was REAL and it consumed me from the time I got up in the morning until I laid my head on the pillow at night…
I was constantly reading, watching the news and scouring social media in search of hot trending topics that could potentially drive the show.
It’s a very subjective opinion, but I felt I was very good at my job because of my obsession to accumulate knowledge, and a shit ton of it…
Yet, I also look back and realize that for as much knowledge as I had, there really wasn’t a whole lot that ever added to my growth as a person. More importantly, the knowledge I would accumulate and share rarely ever added any sort of VALUE to anybody else’s life…
Sure, I could stir up a debate and get a few people to laugh from time to time, but by no means did I ever feel like I was able to directly impact somebody else’s life in a positive and lasting manner.
I haven’t really reflected on it all that much because of its recency, but the above Seneca quote had me look back and realize my brain was “afflicted by pointless enthusiasm for useless knowledge.”
Trust me when I tell you I don’t believe The F*IT List, Daily Hustle, Team Go Hard or Let Them Play Foundation is changing the world, but they are having an impact on some lives and organizations who are committed to growing.
I may not be able to break down the Cal women’s basketball team anymore, but ultimately, I believe I will have a much greater impact if we figure out a way to get them on the Daily Hustle email list…
The education and search for knowledge will never cease…
Let’s just make sure it’s USEFUL and not USELESS. 🤔
-EB