The straight line way of thinking is well known to modern individuals. Upward and onward, ever better, ever more. People of this persuasion collect things for their children, money and property, heirlooms and trinkets. They believe that it is their mission in life to leave this earth with more possessions than when they were born. The obsession with mastering every detail or the quest for artificial intelligence are examples of what I mean.
Nothing dare be lost.
Anthropologists roam the corners of the earth looking for traditions and stories which must be recorded, assuming that once these accounts are in written form they are safe from destruction. In his youth he practiced 6 hours a day, giving up opportunities to do many other things. When he died, I too wondered about all his training and practice. The best I could come up with was that he did what he needed to do to the very best of his ability and made a lot of people happy. There is something optimistic about the straight liners.