Letters from Dad: #7

Note: When I originally asked Sean to write a monthly post for our blog, I told him that he could write about whatever he wanted. This is what he came up with this month. Although it really doesn't have anything to do with parenting or multiples, I'm publishing it anyway. The original idea was for Sean to write posts to his kids so that they had something preserved for them. Well, kids...this is your Daddy. :)

Throughout history, entertainers have regaled us with apocalyptic scenarios. Even today there are many shows, books, and movies that ask how mankind can survive in the event that society as we know it were to end.

The point of these shows and books are sometimes morality tales cautioning the world not to over depend on technology as we never know when technology will fail.  I can certainly attest to this in my job working with databases. Our department relies so heavily on them that when they fail, no one can do their jobs.

I think another reason why apocalyptic shows are so popular is because people subconsciously wonder, “Do I have what it takes? What would I do if the world we live in were to change?”

The sad thing is that we live in what is commonly referred to as “the first world”.  This means we are an industrialized capitalistic country that leans on technology for daily life. The ease of access to clean water, food, electricity, and information has become expected.

So let’s assume that one of these apocalyptic episodes were to happen. What skills would we or people in our group need to have?

• Farming: My first concern would be making sure that my family has food in their bellies.  I would want someone in our group who can determine which food is safe to eat along with how to gather more. Pathogens in the air, soil, and water could be a real danger, so this is a necessary skill.
• Natural Medicine: As much as I appreciate and make use of modern medicine, in a crisis situation, medical supplies would probably be used up quickly. I would want people in our group who understood illnesses and know natural methods of healing. We would have to go back to the base elements of what our current medicines are made out of because we would have no other choice.
• Engineering/Building: We would need to start rebuilding society, so we would need people who can accomplish this goal. I would want someone in our group who knows a little about everything: plumbing, electrical, and construction.  A fleet of engineers would be handy.
• Science: This goes back to the need to restart society. We would need people who would want to experiment and would hopefully already have a knowledge of how things work. Like everything else, we would have to take things back to their basic states in order to move forward. Scientists who already know how things work, would get us back on our feet more quickly.
• Teaching: It would be very important that knowledge and skills are transferred to others.  I think teaching is a skill set that only a select few have.  It requires a lot of patience, and the ability of the teacher to absorb and learn. Without teachers, our process of rebuilding our society would grind to a halt.

Ultimately, if we have some type of doomsday scenario like they show in books, TV, and movies, we as a society would need to learn from each other so that we could all survive. We would need to help our neighbors, and most importantly we would need to quit arguing with one another and learn to cooperate.  I would hope that if we needed to depend on each other to survive, all of the junk that people disagree and fight about would go away.

I hope that my children never have to experience a world where they have to struggle for food, electricity, shelter, or clean water.  However, as I described last month, not everyone in the world or even this country has the things that we take for granted.  If faced with an apocalyptic event, my children might very well end up stronger than me and might be able to survive without all of the things that I need. But, I would hope that they would also look out for their neighbors and strangers who would need their help as well, lending their individual skills and strength without reserve for those who are suffering.

I want to know: What skills do you think would be necessary in an apocalyptic event? (And what do you think of my post this month since Becca said it was a little odd?)

Note: When I originally asked Sean to write a monthly post for our blog, I told him that he could write about whatever he wanted. This is what he came up with this month. Although it really doesn't have anything to do with parenting or multiples, I'm publishing it anyway. The original idea was for Sean to write posts to his kids so that they had something preserved for them. Well, kids...this is your Daddy. :)

Throughout history, entertainers have regaled us with apocalyptic scenarios. Even today there are many shows, books, and movies that ask how mankind can survive in the event that society as we know it were to end.

The point of these shows and books are sometimes morality tales cautioning the world not to over depend on technology as we never know when technology will fail.  I can certainly attest to this in my job working with databases. Our department relies so heavily on them that when they fail, no one can do their jobs.

I think another reason why apocalyptic shows are so popular is because people subconsciously wonder, “Do I have what it takes? What would I do if the world we live in were to change?”

The sad thing is that we live in what is commonly referred to as “the first world”.  This means we are an industrialized capitalistic country that leans on technology for daily life. The ease of access to clean water, food, electricity, and information has become expected.

So let’s assume that one of these apocalyptic episodes were to happen. What skills would we or people in our group need to have?

• Farming: My first concern would be making sure that my family has food in their bellies.  I would want someone in our group who can determine which food is safe to eat along with how to gather more. Pathogens in the air, soil, and water could be a real danger, so this is a necessary skill.
• Natural Medicine: As much as I appreciate and make use of modern medicine, in a crisis situation, medical supplies would probably be used up quickly. I would want people in our group who understood illnesses and know natural methods of healing. We would have to go back to the base elements of what our current medicines are made out of because we would have no other choice.
• Engineering/Building: We would need to start rebuilding society, so we would need people who can accomplish this goal. I would want someone in our group who knows a little about everything: plumbing, electrical, and construction.  A fleet of engineers would be handy.
• Science: This goes back to the need to restart society. We would need people who would want to experiment and would hopefully already have a knowledge of how things work. Like everything else, we would have to take things back to their basic states in order to move forward. Scientists who already know how things work, would get us back on our feet more quickly.
• Teaching: It would be very important that knowledge and skills are transferred to others.  I think teaching is a skill set that only a select few have.  It requires a lot of patience, and the ability of the teacher to absorb and learn. Without teachers, our process of rebuilding our society would grind to a halt.

Ultimately, if we have some type of doomsday scenario like they show in books, TV, and movies, we as a society would need to learn from each other so that we could all survive. We would need to help our neighbors, and most importantly we would need to quit arguing with one another and learn to cooperate.  I would hope that if we needed to depend on each other to survive, all of the junk that people disagree and fight about would go away.

I hope that my children never have to experience a world where they have to struggle for food, electricity, shelter, or clean water.  However, as I described last month, not everyone in the world or even this country has the things that we take for granted.  If faced with an apocalyptic event, my children might very well end up stronger than me and might be able to survive without all of the things that I need. But, I would hope that they would also look out for their neighbors and strangers who would need their help as well, lending their individual skills and strength without reserve for those who are suffering.

I want to know: What skills do you think would be necessary in an apocalyptic event? (And what do you think of my post this month since Becca said it was a little odd?)