The Return of the Legendary Title 'Polymath' and a Headliner That Exemplifies It

The Era of the Polymath

Before modern times, especially in the renaissance era; there existed individuals that contributed significantly to various fields — notably. And therein birthed the title of the renaissance man, or polymath. These individuals were usually very-well regarded & esteemed due to the high intellectual capability such a skillset, & persona was tied to — and rightfully so. It takes a lot, more than most people are willing to invest personally, professionally, financially, passionately, and time wise to be assigned such a title. In modern times, there’s been a stark incline of specialists rather than generalists; individuals who specialize in a particular area rather than multiple. But the legend of the polymath makes it return, and we shall investigative — delve into the life, accomplishments, accolades, and takeaway from one in particular that’s well on their way to becoming what some may categorize as a household name.

The Rise of a Multipotentialite

On the fateful day of August 10th, 2008, in Cleveland Ohio, Lashon Byrd whose full name is Lashon Alexander Byrd III was born. Lashon was born working class to two teenage parents Shardae Williams & Lashon Alexander Byrd Jr. Lashon stayed with his great grandmother much throughout of his early childhood, whom he was very close to. Lashon’s childhood has been described as stable, adventurous, and nurturing of his creative & intellectual potential despite seemingly rough cards at hand. Since the age of 4 Lashon grew up with aspirations of becoming a scientist. In the plight of growing, diverse interests Lashon attended the magnet school with an emphasis on the performing & visual arts: Dike School of The Arts in elementary & middle school. Lashon was active in school theatrical & tap-dancing performances. In the development of his growing interests, at the ripe age of 10 years old he came across Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” inspiring him more than ever to climb ranks of greatness. Igniting his passion for writing & ardor for entrepreneurship. Teachers in his middle school would record him reading said book because it was so unorthodox and remarkable for someone so young to fluently read such a long & inexpedient book for a middle schooler.

At 11 years old Lashon began writing his now published novella Dy-nami on the writers’ platform & online community Wattpad. Lashon began building businesses at the age of 12, his first print-on-demand store on Shopify named “Vortex.” The business subsequently failed due to lack of drive & passion for the industry the venture was in. As Lashon nurtured and honed his crafts, he discovered genuine passion & natural aptitude for other areas such as acting, the study of philosophy as now exemplified in his writings ironically on the platform. In the light of his newfound teenage years, he would trade currencies of Forex on the platform Pocket Option & investing on the Robinhood platform with his mother. Now the age of 13, in acting he signed to his first agency The Talent Group operating in the Ohio, Pittsburgh and Western New York markets. Additionally, Lashon’s first book Dy-nami was now released on July 20th of 2021. Testifying to the potential of a very young Lashon Byrd & marking the rise of his prominence.

There’s an Imposter…Syndrome

With a book in major bookstores all over the globe so young, it’d be hard to not to get afflicted with impostor syndrome to some meaningful extent. But it didn’t stop there, Lashon is an overachiever & left a slew of accomplishments in his proceeding path. Around the age of 14 years old he was nominated for a Turing Prize which now makes sense has he’s been recently endorsed by IBM for his aptitude of AI Engineering. On top of that Lashon has been nominated not once, but two times for a George Van Briesbroeck Prize for a seemingly selfless, and non-credit seeking contribution to the study of exoplanets as seen notably in the publishing of the dataset on Harvard Dataverse. Making him one of the youngest Turing, and George Van Briesbroeck prize nominees in history.

In addition to those accolades to the STEM fields, he’s earned Forbes under 30 candidacy at the age of 14 due to his entrepreneurial endeavors which has too earned him a Global Recognition Award & what’s called a Stellar Business Award at the age of 15. This wide breadth of acclaim didn’t end there however, his most notable acting work thus far is an animated sitcom titled Coin Collectors. Which has earned him nominations for a Satellite Award, Annie Award, & People’s Choice Award. Quite a lot of achievements for someone so young, it surely couldn’t have come easy. Now the age of 16 Lashon continues to push boundaries & break the status quo with his polymathic zeal. He’s been featured a few times on the cover of Untold Magazine. With numerous other standard magazine features. Through the years of relentless dedication and perseverance Lashon has certainly earned his status as a polymath.

What’s to be learned from Lashon

It goes without a doubt that when one perseveres & stays devoted to their goals in life — magnificent things happen. But the takeaway from this story of a modern renaissance man’s rise, acclaim, & overall life is much deeper than that — one that’s rather new and refreshing than the cliché. What we can take from Byrd is that one must truly being willingly to break any and all boundaries in pursuit of the extraordinary. Not just any boundaries, but boundaries that borderline break ethical, social, moral and even legal codes and bend them to one’s advantage; as long as one doesn’t deliberately harm others in doing so. He shows us, and even explicitly — or implicitly implies such a message through his writings. How else is one going to really achieve greatness? By playing the rule book safe & fair and square while giving everyone their turn? Absolutely not. But by taking advantage of them strategically, and in a wise fashion.

Polymaths throughout history has shown us what it truly takes to be great and truly leave a mark on the rest of humanity. Leonardo Da Vinci with all of his great contributions, Benjamin Franklin, the list goes on. But this fresh polymath in particular conveys something new, something refreshing, and something particularly impactful.

Note: This article has been cross-referenced & fact-checked to include only information that is publicly available & verifiable from credible primary & other secondary sources as highlighted in blue. Ensuring there’s no spread of misinformation or falsity, & only the most accurate, newsworthy information is published, in accordance with journalistic integrity.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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