Pitching Manure
There was a discussion on the IxDA list last week about “de-skilling”, and someone posted this quote from author Robert Heinlein:
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.
Mr. Heinlein,
There are a number of items in your list that I have done. Being a father of two, I have changed many a diaper, though I have never used diaper pins, and I’m quite frankly glad to be done with diapers… at least until I have grandchildren. I have written a sonnet or two, but I must say I prefer to write poetry that isn’t limited to a specific number of syllables. I balance my own accounts every month, but fortunately Quicken does most of the work for me. I built a small retaining wall using concrete blocks designed specifically for the task. I hope I have been a comfort to the family members I have parted with, but I know I will have many more opportunities to do so. I have taken plenty of orders and have had the occasion to give some. It’s often easier to receive them than to give them, but I flinch from neither. I cooperate on a daily basis in both professional and personal matters. I often act alone, but prefer the collaborations. Math is one of my week points, but I have solved equations. Analyzing problems is what I get paid for. I can program in a few light scripting languages: HTML, CSS, XML, and Lingo. I used to know Basic. I think that counts. I’m proud to say that I can cook well enough to enjoy the results. So far, so good.
I’ve never butchered a hog, and I don’t intend to. If I had to, I expect I could manage it, but I’d probably make a messy job of it. I’m quite content to purchase my meat at a supermarket. I had to look up the definition of the word “conn”. I’ve paddled a canoe, rowed a rowboat, paddled a kayak, and sailed a very small sailboat. If you put me behind the tiller of a tall ship on open water, I’m confident I could get it to go one way or the other. However, I could not confidently shout out commands like a character out of a C.S. Forester novel to get where I wanted to go. Nor do I have any need to do so—if I eventually find myself on a ship, it will likely be a cruise liner where I’ll happily be stuffing my face with shrimp and doing anything but steering. I’d love to design a building—my own house, specifically. If I ever get the opportunity to do so, however, you can bet I’ll be consulting with an architect before anything is actually built. I have certainly never set a bone and would much prefer to delegate that task to a trained physician. Let’s face it, I don’t live on the frontier, so if anyone in my family breaks a bone, they can wait long enough to get to a hospital. There’s no sense in risking making it worse. Perhaps pitching manure builds character—I couldn’t say. I can’t imagine it takes a lot of skill. Let’s just say that one is really low on my agenda.
Could I plan an invasion? I suppose so. There is no guarantee that it would be successful, but more importantly, it isn’t something that I ever desire to do. I’m a peaceable person. I’ve never really been in a fight, so I couldn’t say whether or not I fight efficiently. And what is efficient fighting, anyway? Does that simply mean it’s over quickly, or is it referring to blood lost or energy expended? Regardless, it seems to me it’s most efficient not to have one. And as for dying gallantly, I’ll pass. Let me die peacefully, satisfied with a life well lead.
Oh, I understand the point Heinlein was making, and the reason the quote was brought up. It’s not so much about the specific activities he mentioned as it is about being well-rounded But his list is weighted to things he thought were important, or at least interesting. My list would differ significantly based on the experiences that I have valued in my own life.
The point I’m trying to make in a very long-winded way is that skills and experience will vary widely from person to person. We can’t expect any one person to do everything. We are interdependent, and I see that as a good thing. Specialization is a natural progression. We’ve seen it broadly in society and more focused in our own field of design. Perhaps there is de-skilling at an individual level, but the benefits are gained at the societal level.
If you think this post is a load of B.S., does that count as pitching manure?