I sometimes call it destiny.
I “met” him on many occasions in my life: during those restless teenage years of exploration, in my first year at university when the world still felt wide and undefined, in the midst of my quarter-life crisis, and again, in that early stretch of professional doubt when my career began to take shape.
To underline, I met him at the turning points. Those moments that quietly define who I was and who I was becoming.
The more I read about Leonardo, the more I realize how similar we are.
Not in the talent, of course.
But, in principles, values, and to some extent, how we see the world.
That’s why I’ve never liked calling him an idol or inspiration. Those words feel too distant, too one-sided, and too passive.
I’d rather say that we belong to the same tribe, with another million out there.
Sharing the same worldview also means that we face the same kind of struggles.
They say experience is the best teacher.
So I learn from the best: Leonardo’s life.
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Human potential is limitless
It was 2008 or 2009, I believe.
I was in my first year at my university, still grasping the field that I chose for undergraduate education: cartography and remote sensing.
I questioned what I would become, so out of curiosity, I googled “world famous cartographer”.
I was genuinely shocked to find his name on that list.
I expected names of explorers or geographers. But there it was: Leonardo da Vinci.
By that time, I had only known him as a brilliant painter, the artist behind Mona Lisa and The Last Supper–thanks to Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, which I had read when I was still in high school.
That initial surprise turned into fascination as I continued to read his Wikipedia page.
It said that Leonardo was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, and theorist. His notebook revealed that he studied countless subjects: anatomy, astronomy, botany, palaeontology, and yes, cartography.
That discovery left me speechless.
Beyond acknowledging his versatility and genius, I began to believe that this is how we should approach this rich and wonderful world, with boundless curiosity and the courage to explore beyond the labels.
It also opened my eyes to the idea that human potential truly has no limit.
And Leonardo, to me, is a living epitome of that.
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The Man Who Walked Beside My Thoughts
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