List Explosion - Oh gracious. The idea of composing a list of "skills everyone should have" made my brain go all "ess-plod-ee." List creep, detail creep, and just plain brainstorming explosion meant last night that (a) I couldn't let go of the list idea and (b) I ended up adding to my list of skills the "ability to condense a list." And then I laughed at myself.

On my late night drive home, this summary came to mind. For me, all things boil down to:

1. Find It
2. Make It
3. Fix It
4. Clean It
5. Use It

After that, I started grouping things in sets of primary categories: Food, Shelter, Clothing, People, Transportation, and Beauty.

Sometimes I wasn't sure if I needed a new category (like Technology--not every human needs computer skills) or if something went in more than one category (is "start a fire" part of food or shelter?). But defining to which list your items belong ("skills for being a responsible adult in modern America" or "skills for surving in the wild") will narrow and refine your list.

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The problem with Heinlein's list is that it starts out with "A human being should be able to..." but as I was thinking last night, when you finish that sentence, you're showing the bias of your current environment and culture. At fighter practice and over dinner last night, various friends added to the discussion. There was apparently a Napoleonic courier list of requirements: Be able to run a mile, swim, ride a horse, shoot, and fence. This reminds me of the SCA requirements for being a knight: Be able to play chess, dance, describe heraldry, do an art or a science, as well as be talented at fighting in the SCA.

I have a book at home called A Medieval Home Companion: Housekeeping in the Fourteenth Century which contains advice from an old husband to a young wife, and all the skills she should have. Then there's The Good Wife's Guide which has been alternately contributed to "Housekeeping Monthly" in 1955, or as a hoax. I'm certain that these lists will look different from one another in some ways, similar in others.

Some lists may suggest skills required for living in modern American urban environments (interview for a job, keep appointments, manage files). Some lists will promote skills needed for living "off the grid" or in a survivalist manner (get food from a source that's not a store, build your own shelter), whether that's because there's been an apocalypse, you've moved to extreme rural location, or because there's been a zombie attack [that last one included just for Thomas, *hee hee*].

Other times, I've thought of "skills people should have" because I've been witness to someone struggling with the lack of a skill, or blissfully unaware how their lack of skill is affecting those around them. You can probably think of people in your life who: (a) don't know how to RSVP, (b) don't know how to scrub a toilet, (c) don't know how to pay bills on time, (d) don't know how to perform well at a job interview, (e) don't know how to parallel park... see how the list explodes?

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The detailed lists of ideas that I compiled....

Added Editorial Note: I'm not saying everyone should do everything on all these lists, but these are many skills that might be good skills to have, and perhaps a well-rounded person should have some skills from each section, and maybe it's worth building some of the skills you might be missing. I know I'll be looking for ways to learn some of these! *grin*

Food - Bake bread, make soup, chop/cook veggies, assemble a meal, churn butter, make beer, make wine, sharpen a knife, season cast iron, grow a garden, can preserves, brew tea, brew coffee, cook rice [without a ricecooker], frost a cake, clean/gut a fish, pluck/dress a chicken, build a sun/brick oven, start a fire [with or without matches], extinguish a fire, find water, carry water...

Shelter - Build a fence, fix a step/stair, chop firewood, bank coals, camp outdoors, dig a latrine, scrub a toilet, ply a cord/rope, tie knots, fix a roof, build a wall...

Clothing - Spin, weave, sew by hand, make clothes, knit, crochet, tie a tie, assemble an outfit for an occasion [job interview, funeral, wedding, party, whatever], treat a stain, sew a button...

People - Read, write a letter, send a postcard, take notes in a meeting, take a phone message, drink socially, talk to strangers, learn names, give a backrub, play chess, play a card game, interview for a job, write a resume, organize paper/files, cut hair, shave, treat a sunburn, use CPR, immobilize a limb, handle illness or injury, sing a baby to sleep, change a diaper, use self-defense, use a weapon, remember a birthday/anniversary, listen, remain silent, keep a secret, keep a promise, keep a diary, refrain from gossip, apologize, easy the suffering of a friend, do a kindness to a stranger, haggle/bargain, barter, cooperate, work independently, speak/read/use a second language, keep appointments, plan a project, teach, encourage, pack a suitcase, pack a house for a move, braid hair, use a reference [dictionary, library, index], critically examine information, compose a logical response, vote, handwrite (cursive, print), balance accounts, split a check, figure long-hand math, repay a debt, spell, proofread, edit, condense lists (!), provide constructive criticism, tell a joke, throw a party, RSVP, send thank you notes, host a guest overnight, draw a diagram, give directions, type, send an email, use a spreadsheet, make a computer backup...

Transportation - Ride a horse, ride a bicycle, fix a bike flat tire, drive a car, change a car flat tire, check oil, change oil, parallel park, drive a stick shift, merge into traffic, drive long distance, run a mile, swim, use a map...

Beauty - Sing, tell a story, write a poem, write in a fancy hand (calligraphy, decoration), dance, take a photo, wrap a present, tie a bow...

I think it's all about being able to find it, make it, fix it, clean it, and/or use it.
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Things I Left Off My Lists - Some of the items I eliminated from Heinlein's list include, "plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, pitch manure, program a computer..." Some I left off completely, others I converted into parallels for my preferences. Items I skipped from Lynn's list include, "operate a vehicle over 100 mph, quote Shakespeare, quote Douglas Adams, sing a sea shanty, calm a scared animal, use a firearm, wear a hat with style, help a lost child..."

I have issues with some weapons forms. I changed "use a firearm" to "use a weapon" and included "use self-defense." I'd feel safer knowing I can swing a broomstick or a frying pan, rather than fight my irrational fear of guns.

I haven't included any "be able to quote this person" or "be able to speak this specific language" items, because I'm not sure these are universal, in my mind. If I need Shakespeare specifically, see my condensed list for "find it." However, I think that when people know how to speak two (or more) languages, they see the world differently. To me, it doesn't matter as much which two languages you speak, but that the skill of speaking more than one language is a highly valued skill.

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Today's Blessing That I'm Thankful For: Skills and Motivation to learn new skills