I used to eagerly spend time learning every new language I came across - but that was 1988 or so, and the languages were actually different: Lisp, Prolog, Basic, Pascal, C (not that different from Pascal), various assembly languages, SNOBOL, Perl, APL, C++, Python, TCL ; each had different strengths as a language, and "knowing XXX" meant knowing the syntax and some idioms, but mostly grokking the philosophy. I used to write a Tetris game in each language to make sure I actually understand it.
But now? most languages are basically the same Java/C# with minor variations in semantics and syntax - but you don't "know" C#/Java or even Ruby or Python these days unless you also know the library/framework ecosystem. And knowing the ecosystem is not about understanding the philosophy - it's about rote memorization. And that takes time and memory, rather than insight and understanding.
I'm sticking to C for speed, Python for elegance, and K/J/APL for fun. I really like erlang although I haven't had a chance to work with it. While I occasionally still have to write code in other languages (100 lines in random language every month), looking up the syntax/semantic differences and library documentation feels like a Sisyphean chore rather than acquisition of knowledge.
I think it's also very important to have some exposure to the full stack. I interview too many programmers who don't understand what is really happening inside the computer when programs are running or who don't have enough knowledge about networking, security, or operating systems to tune and troubleshoot issues.
Being well-rounded is important and learning various programming paradigms is only a part of that.
(http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=MatthewPhillips)
"My current interests are in Clojure, ClojureScript, and IndexedDB."
Yet it appears that you are keeping quite current with new technology :)Also, I think as I get wiser (I hope), I'm realizing more and more the precept of "when all you have is a hammer." It also helps that I'm decent enough in the things I've specialized in that I can learn new things with the purpose of supplementing the deficiencies in my specialties...which makes learning those new things both easier and more profitable.
These days I tend to be pragmatic and keep a set of tools: Java, JavaScript, and Python (may change to Ruby...), PostgreSQL, Linux (ubuntu, may switch to RH if I decided to pursue RH certification) and try to become extremely proficient in each of them.
I'd prefer to be full-stack as opposed to polyglot.