How important is it to know how to be self sufficient?

[amastewa93]

In an age where there seems to be a device that does everything for you, how important do you think it is to know basic communication skills, know how to cook, take care of yourself and interact with others?

[disneysteve]

In an age where there seems to be a device that does everything for you, how important do you think it is to know basic communication skills, know how to cook, take care of yourself and interact with others?

I think it is more important than ever to have good communication skills. I also think it is as important as it always has been to be able to provide for and care for yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you. Sure you can live on junk food and processed crap but cooking isn't difficult. It's a skill anyone can have. And interacting with others is necessary in every area of life, especially in the working world, but far beyond that, too.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

In an age where there seems to be a device that does everything for you, how important do you think it is to know basic communication skills, know how to cook, take care of yourself and interact with others?

I feel like this is one of those softball questions I"m mostly supposed to answer that it's extremely important to be self-sufficient, but really in a modern society it's close to impossible to be completely 100% self sufficient.

Of course the more self sufficient you are the more useful it is, but self-sufficiency is overrated unless you want to live like a caveman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihZU5k4HERk

[ua_guy]

Interesting question. I know a lot of people that would lead me to believe the art of, or even basic understanding of how to do certain things is lost.

Things like:

Negotiating deals in person, negotiating in general.

Dealing with conflict in person.

Substantiating their worth to others, especially in employment.

Knowing how to appropriately value the worth of their knowledge/services.

Changing a tire or installing tire chains, knowing basic mechanical knowledge.

Being prepared in general.

Having actual skill at driving.

Being able to rest one's own mind in the absence of electronic devices.

Being able to cook a meal for several other people.

Cooking without the help of instructions.

How to say "I'm sorry" in general.

How to deal with and comfort a grieving person.

How to discuss finances with other people.

How to fix simple things around the house.

How to recognize poor health in oneself, and the health needs of others.

Caring for animals

How to start a fire to stay warm

How to deal with roadside emergencies

...The list goes on and on. These are all things you might be able to "Google" but where that won't really help in the heat of the moment. These are things you should know how to do, or be able to quickly adapt to without having to consult devices or outside help. I think a lot of things on this short list are vitally important (and also things that can save money, if you know how to deal with them yourself).

[creditcardfree]

In an age where there seems to be a device that does everything for you, how important do you think it is to know basic communication skills, know how to cook, take care of yourself and interact with others?

Why does this question bother me? Is this the new mindset of young people today?

[disneysteve]

I feel like this is one of those softball questions I"m mostly supposed to answer that it's extremely important to be self-sufficient, but really in a modern society it's close to impossible to be completely 100% self sufficient.

Don't cofuse "self sufficient" with "self sustaining". I don't think self sufficient means you need to hunt your own meat, grow your own vegetables, and generate your own power. Rather I think it means that you need to have all of the skills necessary to function in society without having to depend on another person to do things for you.

Perfect example. My neighbor's daughter got married earlier this year. She and her husband now live about 15 miles away in the nearby city. Recently, she had a flat tire. She called her parents to come and get the car, leave her their car, and take her car to get the tire fixed. My wife and I thought that was insane. Between her and her husband, they couldn't manage to get a flat tire repaired without calling the parents? That's not self sufficient. There's no reason why they couldn't have called AAA if they weren't able to put on the spare themselves, then driven the car to a local shop to repair the tire. That would have been self sufficient.

[Fishindude77]

Sadly, you can get through life today with almost ZERO self sufficiency skills, assuming you have sufficient financial resources.

Face to face communication skills have really gone south with use of texting, emailing, internet ordering, smart phones, etc.

You can easily eat all of your meals out or have food delivered to your door. You can hire out your laundry, have someone care for your home, shovel your snow, cut your grass, wash your car, clean your house, cut your hair, clean your teeth, shop for you, etc. About all you would have to do yourself is bathe and get dressed / undressed.

Whole lot of trust fund type coddled individuals sadly live this way.

[sonalitare]

very important