The Value of Creating a Foundation of Traditional Skills in the Modern World
Thoughts on why traditional skills matter in the modern world.
It’s hard to believe how fast our world is changing, isn’t it? Although many people throughout history have felt this way, it’s hard to argue we are in the midst of perhaps the greatest technological boom in world history. From self-driving cars to celebrity astronauts and real-time language translators, to Artifical intelligence that is quickly changing the world, the technological innovations just keep coming, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. In fact, this might just be the very beginning.
Now, I’m not what you’d call a “tech guru,” but I do have a smartphone, I run this website, and I do business online. On the other hand, much of my spare time is spent hunting, starting colts, trapping, tanning hides, and other traditional activities. For me, technology can be a good tool to complete a job, but something I try and avoid being hypnotized by. I realize technology can make life easier, better, helps people live longer, and makes things happen faster as well. There certainly are lots of advantages to using technology.
While these advantages are important to know, there are also some other aspects to consider. While technology can make life easier, it also seems to decrease human skill and competency in many cases. In just one example, the percentage of people capable of reading a map appears to be on the decline. We all know the reason why. People just use their phones. You could argue this is actually a good thing because it increases the movement of people. On the other hand, it also means there are more travelers than ever who have never developed any level of navigational skill. If you take away their phone, they would be helpless. If you are one of those people, best of luck.
This is just one of many examples. While technology is helpful, it seems appropriate to build a foundation of actual life skills upon which rests your technology. Fire-making seems to be an easy-to-understand example to illustrate my point.
Today, anybody can start a fire. Go to the grill, click the button, start the flame, and beat your chest like Tom Hanks in Castaway. Good job. You completed the task, but you certainly aren’t skilled in any possible way. Maybe you don’t want to be? These days, if you are interested in actually developing a skill, you have to do it intentionally.
In the previous example, if you want to develop a fire-making skill, you can deconstruct the process one step at a time. Instead of clicking the button, you might go and grab a box of matches. Making a fire with matches isn’t difficult, but it takes more skill than the push of a button. Take another step back from matches, and you may grab a ferro rod. Ferro rods are great little tools and do require knowledge in fire-making to be used successfully. Now we’re getting somewhere.
Another step back from a ferro rod, and you’ll probably have to start using flint and steel. Flint and steel require more knowledge and skill because it is a more primitive technology. To take another step toward higher skill development, next try and build a friction fire using a bow-drill. I’ll attest bow-drill fires are certainly a skill, and they require practice and knowledge to crank out a coal. You might think bow-drill fires are as skill-based as things get. However, you’ll soon realize the bow-drill itself is technology. The next step backward is the hand drill. At this point, there is no technology, and there are no incompetent fire makers using this method. Hand drill fires are the real deal, and anyone that can make one should have confidence they are legitimately skilled in the fundamentals of fire-making.
Now, I’m certainly not trying to argue that everyone needs to deconstruct their lives in every possible way. That doesn’t make any sense. In fact, I’m not arguing that anyone needs to do anything. I’m simply saying that if you want to build competency in an area, it seems reasonable to actually build the skill. Becoming proficient at a higher level of skill will only make you more competent as you layer technology on top of that foundation. When you’re done, you’ll not only have the skill, but you’ll also have more confidence (in yourself, not in something you bought), as well as the patience and persistence it took to overcome the obstacles while learning.
I realize this approach is probably not what most people are looking for. Skill-building takes patience, persistence, and perseverance. Many people don’t care. They don’t have the time, energy, or interest, and they just want the steaks cooked. I get it. However, if you are the type of person who finds satisfaction in building yourself up, you might find this approach rewarding.
It’s also important to note that this idea doesn’t require you to dive clear to the bottom of a domain to gain any skill. Going back to the fire example, you don’t have to make a hand-drill fire to develop your fire-making skills. Maybe you decide you’re content with stopping at the ferro rod fire. That’s a fine idea if it’s what you want. It probably means you have developed more skill than you had. Basically, you get to choose how deep you dive, realizing that the deeper you dig, the more skill you will build in yourself.
Although traditional skills are basically irrelevant to accomplishing tasks in the modern world, I believe they can serve as the pathway to building character traits like confidence, courage, persistence, and independence. These of course are not irrelevant and never will be.
Hopefully, you found this article helpful in some way. Personally, I’ve found this approach rewarding. It has taught me quite a lot about myself and the world. It has also taught me a lot about history and the skills people in the past developed to survive. I also feel it has helped build me up in many different ways, and I hope it may be able to do the same for many of you.
If you found this article interesting or helpful, you might appreciate more content on the Modern Frontier blog as it gets added. Thanks for your time, and good luck on your journey ahead.
