From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Thu May 09 2002 - 08:29:22 MDT
On Thursday, May 9, 2002, at 01:37 am, spike66 wrote:
> You can have both. Life is simpler now than ever before,
> and getting simpler all the time.
I disagree, Spike. Modern people have to do taxes, follow complicated
politics, work TVs and VCRs, use microwaves to cook, etc. Basic math,
reading, writing and computer skills are required for minimal jobs.
While physical labor requirements are decreasing, the number of little
tiny details and procedures that have to be memorized and executed is
much more complicated than in older times. If we count cars, phones,
TVs, microwaves, vending machines, elevators, taxes, licensing,
real-estate, bills, checking accounts, ATMs, shopping, credit cards,
rebate coupons, etc., there are a million little schemes and systems
that must be learned. I think there were fewer skills in the olden days.
I used to live on a farm and kill/eat our own animals and produce. I am
not underestimating the work, because I lived much of it. My life is
much more complicated than it used to be. I have a lot more power,
resources, access and potential than ever before, but it takes more
skill to manage all these new abilities.
> How much does a modern
> need to know about cars in order to drive? How much does
> one need to know about computers in order to compute?
Are you saying that learning to fish, or learning to kill and pluck a
chicken takes longer than learning to drive or learning to use Windows?
I doubt it.
> I see the Frontier House
> families using every fiber of muscle and every brain cell
> just to make a reasonable attempt at survival, and still none
> of the families would likely have survived the harsh
> Montana winter on the frontier.
These shows are misleading. These people are not used to working hard
and don't know what to do. If they grew up on a family farm, they would
know the basic chores by the time they were in grade school. A single
summer on a farm as a farm-hand will cover the basics of farm life.
However, getting a computer job takes many years of training.
Hell, just learning to read or do algebra or basic science is much more
complicated than learning to weed the garden or go fishing. I'm not
trying to denigrate those skills, but they are a small set of survival
skills. Being a modern renaissance person trying to explore the
universe and discover new ideas is much more complicated than mere
survival.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant <www.Newstaff.com>
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