Posted on 05/02/2014 8:59:22 PM PDT by MNDude
Today a young guy at the office got a flat tire. A bunch of young guys gathered around in the parking lot and I was amazed how none knew how to change a flat.
I commented this had to be one of the top things all men should know.
What would be some of the things you would include on a list that all men should know how to do? (Like change oil, etc)
Knowing how to be a gentleman should be high on the list. I’m glad you encountered a few of those type of fellows out there.
Welding
Rudimentary military tactics such as overlapping fields of fire, how to flank an opponent.
How to grow foodstuffs.
Basic economics (how the world works)
How to start a business.
How to plan a military campaign.
How to steal a kiss.
How to clean a weapon.
How to sharpen a knife, axe, machete and hatchet. Also know to keep the tools used to sharpen.
PFL
“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.”
Robert Heinlein pretty much covers it here. I’d say ‘act alone’ covers the tire thing...
Personally, I’m still working on ‘conn a ship’ and ‘die gallantly’. Haven’t mastered either of those yet. The rest is done.
Kit
I never thought my son paid much attention to when I was doing stuff.
Some gal tweeted about him fixing her closet door using only his leatherman and the metal part from a three-ring binder. He tweeted something like “I guess it’s in my genes”.
I think a lot (most?) of it is believing you can do it. I recall gutting my first deer, alone, using a few pages torn out from an Outdoor Life magazine at the age of 16. (At night with a flashlight).
To be willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause.......
True, and wisdom that was passed to me when I was still a wee lad. Quality tools cost less in the long run.
Addendum...
“Ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth”
- adapted from Persia by Jeff Cooper
It doesn’t get much more basic than this. Reading the thread, I’m surprised no one has mentioned shoe shining and taking out the garbage.
Let’s focus, people.
K
Among all the things listed here so far...
I’ll be the one to say:
Learn FIRST AID!!!
Basic and Advanced.
If You need it the time to learn it is NOT WHEN YOU NEED IT!!!
I could add many more but I gotta try to get some sleep.
Yes. And not only do quality tools cost less in the long run, they lead to much less frustration.
That's something my father tried to teach me when I was young. But when I became a young adult, I tried to save a few bucks, and I learned the hard way that my father was right.
When Mrs. Chandler was my child bride, I taught her how to change a tire. She hasn’t had to do so in several decades, but she could if necessary.
Even if they never do it.
How to put on a raincoat in a very darkened room.
“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 insects.”
— Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
A Libertarian!
Male news gatherers and on-camera reporters definitely seem to be an endangered species in the television news industry. And my local newspaper seldom shows a male child or youth person involved in a school activity.
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