Lessons from a Swiss Army knife

A human being should be able to change a diaper plan an invasion butcher a hog conn a ship design a building write a sonnet balance accounts build a wall set a bone comfort the dying take orders give orders cooperate act alone solve equations analyze a new problem pitch manure program a computer cook a tasty meal fight efficiently die gallantly Specialization is for insectsrdquoThat single breathtaking list of skills from Robert Heinlein the American author once called the ldquodean of science fiction writersrdquo still inspires me It reminds me of my childhood hero Batman selfsufficient and expert in whatever he did I think of Leonardo da Vinci the Renaissance Man whose interests ranged from painting and sculpture to architecture geology the design of weapons and defence systems robotics the art of cooking optics and firework displaysHe was a Swiss Army knife of a human beingI can do only five of the 21 things in Heinleinrsquos listmdashtake orders not so well give orders cooperate with some people act alone easily and cook a tasty meal anytime I used to be able to change a diaper but those children are young adults now I know only one knot and I cannot skateboard or rollerskate Can I comfort the dying Irsquoll never know Write a sonnet Never triedAlso read Need prompt action against board hackersIrsquom struck equally by the things I do well and millennials donrsquot For instance none of them can feed themselves Someone else irons their clothes They donrsquot really have handwriting and their reading is limited to short and scrollable things They stumble through life using directions from GoogleOf late a new question has been chewing my brain Why Why should I be able to use a theodolite or carve barbecued meat Why learn anythingDr Sugata Mitra winner of the 1million TED award for 2013 stirred a hornetsrsquo nest at an interview by saying ldquoKnowing is obsoleterdquo When all knowledge is accessible in seconds through a Google search why remain informed Or capable Or competent Why are any skills necessaryItrsquos that time when people make promises to themselves about the next year Here are a few thoughts all of them about living life as though you were a Swiss Army knife and continuously learning new thingsTherersquos a mundane list of things worth knowing because theyrsquore really useful and your mother isnrsquot going to be around forever It includes things likemdashndash Cookndash Iron clothesndash Plan a nutritious mealndash Keep a bathroom really cleanndash Remove stainsndash Swimndash Grow healthy plantsndash Know first aid for burns wounds sprainsndash Listen well and know when to speakndash Travel alone in a country whose language you donrsquot knowDid you fare abysmally Fear not Google swears yoursquore in the 90th percentile and well within the normA better reason for a lifelong education is emerging in a world where machines are taking over what was once uniquely human including writing and painting That puts people out of jobs What happens to pilots when their Airbuses can fly just fine on autopilot Turns out they could get a new job flying drones from a consolemdashprovided they went back to school and learnt droneflying skillsThe worldwide demand for drone pilots is expected to grow by 511 per cent over the next five years with drone sales projected to reach over 16 billion by 2030 Salaries are lush but having flown an airbus just isnrsquot good enough You need to have passed drone school literally with flying coloursWhatever yoursquore doing now a machine will probably do it better and soon What new skills would you have learnt by then to keep you employedThe most compelling reason for learning something totally new in 2023 is coming from gerontology Research is showing that people who learn for the pleasure of learning tend to live longer Einstein said ldquoOnce you stop learning you start dyingrdquoIf you canrsquot think of what to learn go wild Take up macrame Or pick a language any language preferably something yoursquoll never need Why not Norwegian Download an app and start learning itScientists know that your brainrsquos neurons multiply in real time as you learn something challenging or new a process called neuroplasticityMore crucially learning new skills and topics staves off cognitive decline improving memory keeping spirits up and promoting health postponing or preventing conditions like Alzheimerrsquos and dementia A study reckons that a year of formal education can add more than six months to your lifeIn 2023 Irsquoll continue with the learning list I started in 2022 which includes sign language Spanish at least 20 new knots the art of debate piano and how to draw the human figureThe most quirkymdashand absorbingmdashthing Irsquom learning though is to write with my left handOne day some day I intend to write with both hands simultaneously an essay with the right and a poem with the left After all pianists do different things with both hands without thinking why canrsquot IWhat unexpected skill do you plan to learn in the happy new year coming upYou can reach C Y Gopinath at cygopigmailcomSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper