Specialization is for Insects

I have been fond of the passage quoted below for a long time. It isn’t to be taken literally, or perhaps even seriously. I think I like it because it evokes a deep sense of range and potential—of capability and agency. Perhaps it’s also a reminder that we can use our amazing and uniquely human faculties compassionately. (Emphases are mine):

A human being should be able to change a diaper, 

plan an invasion, 

butcher a hog, 

conn a ship, 

design a building, 

write a sonnet, 

balance accounts, 

build a wall, 

set a bone, 

comfort the dying, 

take orders, 

give orders, 

cooperate, 

act alone, 

solve equations, 

analyze a new problem, 

pitch manure, 

program a computer, 

cook a tasty meal, 

fight efficiently, 

die gallantly.

Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein