That one Life Skill.

[Valentine Z]

Inspired by Reddit threads such as this, I was doing worldbuilding about my nation's education system, and that got me thinking, along with a couple of other videos and things that I might have read... what is that one life skill that everyone should have and yet are lacking rather significantly? We could talk about the education systems from all over the world, but one thing is for sure; I think we could have schools (as early as Secondary / Middle school levels) to have perhaps compulsory courses that they need to take throughout their lives. The exams could be practical, and it does not have to be graded - as long as you are confident with the skills, you are fine and you can pass.

What are these life skills I am talking about? Here's a non-exhaustive list!

- First Aid (Up to 59% of 'pre-hospital' deaths from injury could potentially be prevented if more people stepped in with some simple first aid, according to new research commissioned by the British Red Cross and conducted by the University of Manchester. This is for UK alone, but I'm sure the same sentiments apply for other nations).

- Basic shelter building and construction. I think using power tools and basic safety measures should apply here.

- Firearms safety. This one's a bit controversial and I am not here to talk about gun control, but regardless of Nerf, BB, paintball, blanks, or live rounds... I think it's safe to say that everyone should at least know about the basic discipline! I have heard horror stories about people poking each other's eyes out because of poor BB or paintball impulses.

- Mechanical skills, mainly towards working on your motorbikes or your cars, e.g. changing a flat tire.

- Basic sewing to patch up those bits rather than throwing the entire cloth away.

- Basic swimming skills. You don't necessarily need to be an Olympian swimmer, but if you live near the waters, you probably must at least know how to float.

- Basics of Taxes and Finances. Knowing different tax forms, filling them up, etc, etc.

- EDIT: Separate now. Basic understanding of law and court proceedings. You don't need to be a bona-fide part-time lawyer, but know your laws well and you will (probably) be fine if you somehow got into trouble.

- Social skills? Again, might be controversial, but things such as spatial awareness (realising that you are blocking the doorway or in the middle of a sidewalk), or self-awareness / self-actualization.

- Basic house maintenance - includes plumbing and electrical skills, e.g. fixing a toilet, fixing that pesky wiring...

- Danger awareness. This is a very broad term, but I will list down stuff like cybersecurity (please DO NOT doxx yourself, go to weird websites, etc etc), or checking if that puddle of water is deep or shallow. Kinda overlaps with social skills in a way.

EDIT:

- Basic cooking skills! I missed this one out, sorry! I think this is much more important than ever, given the situation! You don't need to be a gourmet chef, but you at least need to know how to cook some stuff properly to not starve.

- Critical inference, not just blindly believing in something. It's not to conspire against everything, but I think it's good if people started wondering "Wait, is this real?" and make a simple search before that Facebook post asks you to spread the message.

So what say you, NSG? Do you have a life skill that I have listed, or are you learning and picking up one? Or do you have another skill that you want to talk about? ^^ Is one life skill more important than the other for you?

And of course, should this be taught in schools as a compulsory subject (you can choose which one you want), and maybe just have practical tests to ensure that students learn?

-----

Personally for me, I know a bit of First Aid (if worse comes to worst, I can give someone CPR or use an AED), because if your brain lacks oxygen while you are unconscious... that's obviously not a good sign. Even a few minutes without oxygen WILL give you brain damage if you are KO'ed. I can't really dislodge someone who is choking, though. Never know how, but might be learning that.

I am also supportive of firearms discipline, and the last overlapping danger awareness. For the latter, even the most cynical of us can sometimes fall into traps that are either very convincing, or just the thought that it's not that harmful (a shallow puddle can indeed kill if you fell the wrong way).

I would make a poll, but there are too many entries and like I said, non-exhaustive. The definition of "Life Skills" can vary from one person to another.

[Nakena]

I think most of those you listed are fairly important. And many schools really dont teach them.

[Bombadil]

Missed out basic cooking skills for one..

[US-SSR]

The ability to determine when someone is talking rot.

[Valentine Z]

Missed out basic cooking skills for one..

I swear I have that written down!

But yeah, that's important too, I agree. You will never know when you need to cook something with whatever you have, or when that McDonalds or that food court suddenly closed for the time being... probably more important now than ever!

[Cekoviu]

Most of the things you wrote, tbh. Swimming skills might not be important if you live in Kansas or whatever and firearms safety, sewing, and construction are not quite as important, but definitely the other ones.
I think the most important ones are being able to evaluate the credibility of sources and developing a growth mindset (not thinking intelligence and talents are fixed, being perseverant, etc.).

[Valentine Z]

Most of the things you wrote, tbh. Swimming skills might not be important if you live in Kansas or whatever and firearms safety, sewing, and construction are not quite as important, but definitely the other ones.
I think the most important ones are being able to evaluate the credibility of sources and developing a growth mindset (not thinking intelligence and talents are fixed, being perseverant, etc.).

The ability to determine when someone is talking rot.

I unfortunately missed that one out too, but I wasn't able to articulate how until now. ^^

I think that's the basis of how conspiracies came about, or those Facebook chain messages. It's not exactly common sense (for the most parts), but it overlaps with it. The ability to "Wait... is this real?" and doing a simple search should become an instinct.

Not common sense because some things are just not too obvious, but the least people can do is a simple search and not just to rely on a single source.

[Saint Nicholas and the Hussars]

Most of the things you wrote, tbh. Swimming skills might not be important if you live in Kansas or whatever and firearms safety, sewing, and construction are not quite as important, but definitely the other ones.
I think the most important ones are being able to evaluate the credibility of sources and developing a growth mindset (not thinking intelligence and talents are fixed, being perseverant, etc.).

Making critical inferences as well

[Purple Rats]

-Research skill. Like really "you don't need to know everything, but need to know where to find information". Even with google, people don't seem to find information all the time, as there just is too much, so they don't know how to pick up most useful ones.

- Getting around. I mean really. I used to hitchhike around Europe, and I don't have smartphone, so I could not always check internet. And people asked me quite often "but how do you know where to go?" It was quite huge shock actually, as I did not realize people get lost without google maps so easily

[Washington Resistance Army]

I'm really big on doing things myself and generally being self sufficient when possible so I have most of those skills down but it shocks how few people can do things like basic first aid. You don't gotta be a surgeon, but you should at least know how to stop bad bleeds or whatnot just in case.

[The Chuck]

Well me being one of the NS Gun folks Val, here's the 4 rules of gun safety for any beginner.

1. Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never point the muzzle/barrel at anything you do not intend to destroy
3. Never have your finger on the trigger or in the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always confirm what your target is and know what is behind your target.

[Sapporo Hyperspace Riftgate Laboratory]

"Swimming Skills"
Especially if your crush likes to push you into a body of water, either artificial or natural. Like mine... _{I'll yeet you for this someday...}

[Fractalnavel]

Always liked this:

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, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

— Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

[Krasny-Volny]

The two most important ones I feel are only applicable to people who own these things.

Basic car knowledge - knowing how to change a flat, change your own oil, check your fluids, check your air filter, change your spark plugs. Very important, but inapplicable to people who don’t have cars.

Guns - safety awareness (never point at anything you don’t intend to shoot, etc), how the safety mechanism works, how all the internal parts function and how to replace these parts, knowing how to clean a gun and perform a function check on it. Very important, but inapplicable to people who don’t own firearms or use them in their line of work.

[Valentine Z]

-Research skill. Like really "you don't need to know everything, but need to know where to find information". Even with google, people don't seem to find information all the time, as there just is too much, so they don't know how to pick up most useful ones.

- Getting around. I mean really. I used to hitchhike around Europe, and I don't have smartphone, so I could not always check internet. And people asked me quite often "but how do you know where to go?" It was quite huge shock actually, as I did not realize people get lost without google maps so easily

Ahh, that is Google-Fu! Everyone talk about having that skill, and not just using the search bar plainly, but using the parameters too!

My proud moment with finding a rather rare quote because I couldn't just search "Bismarck quotes".

Well me being one of the NS Gun folks Val, here's the 4 rules of gun safety for any beginner.

1. Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never point the muzzle/barrel at anything you do not intend to destroy
3. Never have your finger on the trigger or in the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always confirm what your target is and know what is behind your target.

Oh, totally! In my conscript days, we were told that "This rifle can destroy an universe." It was less literal and more metaphorical, because if you accidentally shot someone, and that guy died... you destroyed someone's family, basically. Quite a deep one that we were drilled in.

[Krasny-Volny]

Well me being one of the NS Gun folks Val, here's the 4 rules of gun safety for any beginner.

1. Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never point the muzzle/barrel at anything you do not intend to destroy
3. Never have your finger on the trigger or in the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always confirm what your target is and know what is behind your target.

Safety always engaged until you’re ready to fire.

Tying in with the last one, always be sure and never shoot towards a road or building.

[Kombinita Socialisma Demokratio]

On OP's list: Critical inference and basic first aid for sure. Simple cooking (even if just safety and how to make pasta, rice, and beans)/sewing/how to fix the breaker would be good. The other stuff should only be mandatory for those who need it.

Not on OP's list: learning to think before acting/speaking (this would reduce Darwin Awards, and the number of people who are slapped)

Oh, also, all students take the exam before and after the class. Initial performance determines if they need to take it or how long it will be if they do.

[Kombinita Socialisma Demokratio]

Well me being one of the NS Gun folks Val, here's the 4 rules of gun safety for any beginner.

1. Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never point the muzzle/barrel at anything you do not intend to destroy
3. Never have your finger on the trigger or in the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always confirm what your target is and know what is behind your target.

Safety always engaged until you’re ready to fire.

Tying in with the last one, always be sure and never shoot towards a road or building.

TLDR version: if you do not touch it, then you will not hurt anyone with it.

[Valentine Z]

Not on OP's list: learning to think before acting/speaking (this would reduce Darwin Awards, and the number of people who are slapped)

Oh, God, that one... that's what those fueled the "Fail Compilations"!

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. So many things can go wrong even in professional stunts, so even more for amateur or dumb stunts.

[Bombadil]

The two most important ones I feel are only applicable to people who own these things.

Basic car knowledge - knowing how to change a flat, change your own oil, check your fluids, check your air filter, change your spark plugs. Very important, but inapplicable to people who don’t have cars.

Guns - safety awareness (never point at anything you don’t intend to shoot, etc), how the safety mechanism works, how all the internal parts function and how to replace these parts, knowing how to clean a gun and perform a function check on it. Very important, but inapplicable to people who don’t own firearms or use them in their line of work.

To be fair I think anyone should have these basic skills, Mad Max didn't survive on his sewing skills alone.

[Valentine Z]

The two most important ones I feel are only applicable to people who own these things.

Basic car knowledge - knowing how to change a flat, change your own oil, check your fluids, check your air filter, change your spark plugs. Very important, but inapplicable to people who don’t have cars.

Guns - safety awareness (never point at anything you don’t intend to shoot, etc), how the safety mechanism works, how all the internal parts function and how to replace these parts, knowing how to clean a gun and perform a function check on it. Very important, but inapplicable to people who don’t own firearms or use them in their line of work.

To be fair I think anyone should have these basic skills, Mad Max didn't survive on his sewing skills alone.

Sewing metal is an entirely different thing, though.

[Tiltjuice]

Training myself to operate a motor vehicle one-handed. My parents thought I was nuts and reckless for doing this.

Under pandemic conditions, who's nuts and reckless now?

[Cekoviu]

Training myself to operate a motor vehicle one-handed. My parents thought I was nuts and reckless for doing this.

Under pandemic conditions, who's nuts and reckless now?

I would've thought that the Blumiere thing would be a bigger issue than your recklessness with motor vehicles.

[Vetalia]

Knowing that you don't know something and being willing to learn.

[Saiwania]

How to land a job effectively, or to navigate HR systems as they are today. How to build up enough influence to have no troubles launching and maintaining a career. Failing that, what would probably help the most is knowing how to live off the land or to have a valuable and in demand skill such as being an engineer, electrician, or etc. If you know how to do something well that other people are willing to pay money for, you won't have any economic troubles going forward.