Lost Skills

[crashdive123]

Lost skills are something that we often talk about. Generations growing up now have lost/forgotten/never had the ability to live a simpler lifestyle. Many that have come to this forum have done so in order to learn those skills. Some have come to re-learn those skills. And yes, there are some that have never lost those skills. I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately. Some of the threads that have been started have sparked some thoughts about it.

We’ve had discussions about the ability (physically and mentally) to be able to do hard work day in and day out. Not just a job that is physically demanding, but rather a lifestyle that is physically demanding. Society as a whole has gotten larger – super sized, if you will. At least I know that I have, and am taking corrective action on that – as are many others.
We have a lot of creative folks that make things, salvage things, and refurbish things. Some do it out of necessity, others do it for enjoyment. Many in today’s society (again, not talking about most folks here) would be lost if they were suddenly forced into this arena. Many in today’s economy are finding this out, and I would imagine that their learning curve is high.

Many of the “homesteading” skills that were common to generations before us have been lost to much of today’s population. Canning, drying, preserving, growing, harvesting are skills that come to mind. Working with our hands and minds to make a lifestyle that is comfortable. Why? Well, there was no grocery store that you could hop in your car to go pick up a loaf of bread or gallon of milk. There was no Home Depot to buy lumber or nails.

I think that much of it comes from the belief of previous generations that they wanted to make life better for their children. They lived that lifestyle that we often romanticize about. They knew how difficult a lifestyle it was. They saw how advances in technology could make life easier. They wanted better for their children. It is my belief that they often equated easier to better. Maybe that’s true, I don’t know. I think a balance, as in anything is best. I believe that the hard, back breaking work that they endured – the work that made them tough was looked at in a dimmer light compared to the physically less demanding work. How often have we heard stories of “I was the first one in my family to go to school”? So - has society gradually become "softer" out of the love of their parents?

Modern technology has made our lives easier – physically. I don’t view that as a bad thing. Advances in medicine have allowed us to live longer. Science has given us the ability to grow more food in less space. Working in an office 50 or 60 hours a week is no more or less noble than the farmer that toils for hours in a field. Many here that have children talk about wanting to pass some of those skills and traditions along to their children. Some have found mentors to help guide them along their personal journey. Many use the internet, books, and videos to introduce themselves to new things. We live the lifestyles that we have become accustomed with. I believe it is all about balance.

[Sourdough]

Crash my friend, I agree with all you stated, accept the conclusion, that "Balance" is the answer.

I feel that balance is like jumping across a 200' deep crevasse. Making it 50% of the way across, has the same fatal result as 99% of the way across. In fact the only reason to jump is if one is 100% certain of covering 115% of the distance across the danger.

The mantra on this forum is "Every little bit helps". I think this is a false security. A drug we take to mask the fear that we have........one more time sold-out too the truth, that if you ain't ready, you ain't ready. This is not a judgment of other Forum members, but a naked honest look in the mirror at my skill-set, my preparations, my physical fitness level. I for one, will not be happy to only make it 99% of the way across the crevasse......

[Winnie]

Well, it's funny you should ask! I think a lot about this too. Balance is a difficult thing to achieve. Sometimes I get quite down about skills dying out, even the skills we consider basic are rapidly becoming rare. How many families sit down to a homecooked meal these days? More and more people rely on ready meals. There's nothing wrong with making life easier, but I do wonder how far things will go sometimes. On a good note, vegetable gardens and preserving are enjoying something of a renaissance over here, mainly because of the state of the economy. I don't know what the answer is but there are people who do have an interest and with luck some will survive.
I think every parent lives in hope that their children will have a better, more comfortable life than their own, somehow we've got to include the practical skills into a childs education. But How that is done I don't know.

Edit: I completely agree with your post Crash!

[hunter63]

I'm with Crash on this one, and don't believe in "all or nothing".
That just leads to frustration, and make it too easy to give up.

Been into the homesteading life style for a long time, and I believe its a state of mind.
Simply put, do for your self and family, find that balance, believe in it and press on.

Skills are necessary, no matter what you do, and are only lost if you allow them to be.
New skills, be they old and lost, or totally new, all need to be addressed.
No one will master all of them, but allow it to be fun to learn.

[panch0]

I agree aswell crash. As for the overweight part. I am a little over weight, but have started jogging in the past month to get back in shape. My family has been in the US for more than a hundred yrs in TX. We are used to the life style here and have for the most part adjusted to the not eating so much part. My wife's family who lived in Mexico hauled their own water from the well and lived the mountain lifestyle and worked hard at everything they did whether it be cooking , washing cloths, etc.... They din't have any of the comforts we had here in the states. Back then you made sure your kids, husband, etcc... ate heartily cause they were going to burn those calories during the day. Now that they have migrated here to the US they are more sedentary and they still have the habit of serving big plates of food and encouraging the kids and husband to eat alot, not realizing that it causes more harm than good. I tried to explain it once and they were offended, so I never brought it up again.

On the other hand, if things got rough they would be the ones to survive with more ease than lets say some of my family that has never done any physical labor in their lives. There are a couple of cousins who were spoiled growing up and don't know what it is to sweat for a dollar. They wouldn't last like my wife's family would. Great thread BTW.

[Rick]

I agree, Crash. I've posted before that my grandfather and his father hand made railroad ties for the mines. They felled the trees and made the ties completely by hand with no power tools. If they could have afforded a steam or gas driven mill I'm quite certain they would have invested in one. Not just to make life easier on them but to increase production of ties. That's really where the balance comes in, I think. How can I increase productivity without an enormous cost? How can I can more veggies? How can I cut more firewood? How can I till more land? Or do any of those things quicker? Or both?

When you can increase your productivity at a reasonable cost then you can 1) create additional time to do other things or 2) increase the overall yield for a given product or 3) both.

That's why you guys use a power sander to bevel your knives isn't it? It's about balance.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

I think everthing depends on the individual and even though many may not have experience, skills, knowledge or even good physical condition I believe other traits used daily by many will serve them just as well anywhere. Creativity,you may call them Bull **** but the abilty so many have to make it up as they go along is will serve them well coupled with the perserverence to fail and try again from another angle. Most everything I have learned was from doing it all the wrong ways first. Smart people can learn from others mistakes and stupid people will insist on making those mistakes for themselves but when it becomes real getting the job accomplished is all that matters, not how it got done or how many times you failed in the process. Physically I am getting older and it does not mean I can't do things, I just have to do them in smaller sections and slower. I use a small shovel that would have gotten laughed off any concrete crew I ever worked but I can dig with it all day. I think it all boils down to the old saying "Where there's a will, there's a way".

[BENESSE]

I've struggled with "Balance" most of my adult life, always erring on the side of work, responsibility and delayed gratification. (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree) And recently, when my own disaster preparedness kicked into higher consciousness, it seems that all I do is prepare and worry about some future calamity.
With a bit of Sourdough's attitude mixed in, (but none of his skills) I tend to go for all or nothing perfectionism which almost always guarantees that I'll never be 100% satisfied with where I need to be.

I am not prepared nor do I think it's realistic to make drastic changes in my life on the off chance the world goes to hell in a hand basket. It would be like saying, I'll give up everything I know and love right now so that I can prepare and at some point have a better chance (not a guarantee) of survival if TSHTF.

Trading the present (prime of our lives) for the future doesn't make sense to me which is where "Balance" comes in. Doing our best now with what we have and enjoying every day as though it might be our last. At least that's what we're striving for.

[your_comforting_company]

I think it is our desire for our kids to have "better" than we had that drives away the old skills simply because we lose the necessity of those skills. If it's easy to go to the store and buy soap, why would you need to make it? it's cheap, long lasting, etc. (just an example of a lost skill). Then there are the things we teach them for fun interaction, like candlemaking.
I have to agree with Crash on this one too. There is a balance. You work all day to earn money, then you come home and work in the garden to save that hard earned money at the grocery store. With the saved money you can have luxuries, like good smelling soap, television, nice hot showers..
I think it's important both to want better for our kids, balanced with the skills to make life better for themselves. Teach them well what hard work is, and they will appreciate the finer things when they get them.
It's balance in a world of chaos. Beautiful

My Grandpa is visiting from OK. I'm gonna go see what more I can learn from him tonight. That man lived through hell. I want to learn all he can teach me so that I and my family might have better lives I think that's what he wants. I know I would.

[Pal334]

I agree that there is a balance to be found. That balance is as different for each person as we are different from each other. I am confident that me and "mine" would get along and eventually thrive, based on skills, and what preps we have made (based on confidence and skills, not necessarily quotable facts) . HOWEVER, having said that, there is a need to constantly improve, in my case it is teaching manual labor and skills to the youngsters, making it fun so that they learn. I don't obsess on it, but keep it in the background, but do enjoy life now.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

press on

Fierce determination! The rest will work out!

[Rick]

That's a good phrase, AS. A huge part of it is mental. Not giving up. Fierce determination. I like that.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

That's a good phrase, AS. A huge part of it is mental. Not giving up. Fierce determination. I like that.

I stole it from the famous chinese philospher Bruce Lee.

[Rick]

Ah yes, the famous Kato.

[rwc1969]

Speaking simply from what I know of my family,

The skills of my parent's fathers and mothers was lost due to the age of consumerism and the pop culture that nurtured it's existence. First it was Ward's and Sears wishbooks that planted the seed, then, with the advent of radio shows and TV they saw and heard things, and were told they needed them by advertisements, celebrities and such. They saw famous people doing it and wanted it for themselves. So, they moved away from the country to the cities where they could find work, buy those things and live like their tv and radio heroes. The grass is always greener there. The guys wanted fast cars, cigarettes and loose girls. Girls wanted makeup, shopping malls, white picket fences and prince charming. Not everyone that moved got what they wanted or were dreaming of.

My grandparents and their grandparents lived long healthy simple and honest lives and enjoyed their lives very much. They weren't by any means struggling for survival. My parents were happy with their lives until they saw what all the city folk had, then they wanted it too. They didn't try to push their kids into consumerism, the media did. My parents as well as most of those generations after bought into it all on their own.

I will say my father's side had it rougher than my mom's though. I believe it was due to lack of education and the geographic location. Surprisingly enough, being educated has it's values in an old way of life as well. Being able to read books and understand basic math and such helps no matter what. So does being in an area with natural bounty. If you live where the water, land and air is poisoned from mining and such you are gonna live a shorter life regardless of modern conveniences, especially if you're not educated enough to know how to protect yourself from it.

I know many may disagree with the following, but in general it's true. It's not negative it's just reality. Because, now, we for the most part have to buy into "it" in order to get by. The cost of living is much higher. It didn't used to cost money to live, or very little. And by buying into it we don't have the time to do all the things our forefathers did to get by. Open land is dwindling away and you can't just throw up a log cabin, tin roof shack, outhouse, smokehouse, etc. You can't set up a watermill for power or divert the flow of a creek to cool your food. In most places you can't even have an open fire or livestock. There just isn't enough land for it. Laws and codes don't allow it and taxes are too high. You now have to have a good cash flow just to pay the property taxes, insurance and what have you. My grandparents didn't have many of those bills, they didn't drive to work or to the store. Work and for the most part the store was right outside the back door.

It's no longer a question of wanting to use these lost skills to live on, but being able to. Around here it's not allowed. I'm speaking for my neck of the woods, not Alaska or Timbuktu. You certainly cannot make a living trapping anymore and here in Michigan and that was what many of the old timers did to get by on their "old skills ways".

My grandparent's trapped, farmed and in some cases worked odd or seasonal jobs to get up enough cash to buy property and minimal supplies to build it up and maintain it. They didn't have to worry about car insurance, house insurance, high property taxes, medical insurance and what have you. They just needed enough cash to set up shop and after that they became self sufficient based on the skills they were taught by their parents. Skills that my mother's father greatly expanded by having the abilty to read. They would grow and hunt their food and what was leftover they would sell to buy the basics and pay the minimal taxes. Not having regular jobs and long commutes left them plenty of time to do the things needed to maintain that "old ways" lifestyle. My grandfather had medical books, and instruments, etc. just like you'd find in a doctor's office of the day. He had time to learn those skills in addition to the daily chores and checking trap lines or what have you.

They did'nt work from sun up till sundown as many would think. They started work at sun up, yes, for a couple to 4 hours, then they took a good long break and went back and worked till sundown. It was a 4- 12 hour day depending on the time of year and natural cycles. Some days they didn't have to work. They never worked on Sunday that I know of. If you broke it down it was probably a 20-40 hour week with short seasonal times where they could easily put in 60 or more. There were slow times and busy times just like now a days.

I think we are just now entering a new stage where the kids of those generations are realizing that although consumerism has it's benefits, it needs a leash. We are just beginning to consider alternatives to the buy, sell, consume and throw in the trash lifestyle. People are beginning to realize that the old lost ways have their benefits, especially when combined with some of the new. Finding a way to combine the old with the new will be what saves this nation and this world in the long haul.

Eventhough people are realizing this and some are returning it will take many generations for it to become mainstream. Old habits are hard to break, especially when they are so engrained in our everyday lives. It may or may not take a disaster or other unforeseen event to shift people into gear. Only time will tell.

[Sourdough]

rwc1969, GREAT Post, system Say's I have to spread the love and can't put any green rep on ya, but great post. I am not as optimistic as you.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

I could have a PHD in "skills" but to be honest a monkey can be trained to do it all. What everybody is missing is that the technology used to be more mechanical in nature. You could look at it and figure out how it worked. If we return to a simpler way of life many are going to have to forget what they know and begin to think. Knowledge should be the building blocks of thought, it should not replace it. Some off you are going to surprize yourself if you don't let your skill limit the challenges you undertake. I never let not knowing how to do something stop me from doing it.

[BENESSE]

I could have a PHD in "skills" but to be honest a monkey can be trained to do it all. What everybody is missing is that the technology used to be more mechanical in nature. You could look at it and figure out how it worked. If we return to a simpler way of life many are going to have to forget what they know and begin to think. Knowledge should be the building blocks of thought, it should not replace it. Some off you are going to surprize yourself if you don't let your skill limit the challenges you undertake. I never let not knowing how to do something stop me from doing it.

AS, you can't imagine how inspirational that sounds to me! It carries more weight coming from you.
Thank you.

[rwc1969]

That's a good point AS, I used to be afraid to try new things until I started trying them. You never know unless you try.

I've read plenty of books on subjects but rarely understood it until I tried to actually do the stuff. Doing it unlocks ideas and opens up pathways to new things as well.

That's why our forefathers, or at least mine were so ingenius. They had tried a great many things and learned from the mistakes and remebered the things that worked.

That's all "lost skills" are really. Years of trial and error passed down from generation to generation. Some was recorded in books, but most was just word of mouth. As soon as the mouth stops moving the skills are lost.

That's why I like the Foxfire series of books so much. they tried to put in words and pics the stuff that was for generations just word of mouth or common knowledge. Capturing this stuff so future gens have something to fall back on in case they ever want to pick it back up again.

[tipacanoe]

Upper management at the shipyard where I work, is forcing design to tell the mechanics where to put every piece of equipment and has almost mandated that you will not move anything without first contacting design. We use to have mechanics that would really "wow" you with their craftsmanship, but not very often now. I made the statement that if you take the thinking out of the job, you will get a very poor product, and all that did was get me in trouble.