<p>I disagree about the language thing- There are plenty of bums in Europe that speak multiple languages- they’re still bums, they just happened to live somewhere where multiple languages were spoken. Learning a language just facilitates communication with more people, the same way improving any language skills make you better able to communicate.</p>
<p>I always liked this quote by Robert Heinlein:
“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.”</p>