Two Different Skills

In a recent blog post by Cal Newport, The Lost Satisfactions of Manual Competence,  he discusses the satisfaction of the creation of an object under the tutelage of his grandfather.  The physical effort to take a hunk of metal and turn it into a functional working engine. 

Newport's post resonated with me for a couple of reasons.   First, my own father was a tool and die maker and the workshop in my basement was filled with many different tools that were used to create functional objects from raw materials.  It was there that I spent countless days "playing" with the various tools, creating something that I had envisioned in my head.  With time, my competence for creation of such objects grew to a point where I could be reasonably proficient in creating what I had dreamed (within reason). 

I could fix a bicycle.  Mend a fence.  Create a birdhouse. Make a model car or spaceship.  I could solder a broken electrical connection. Repair a broken item. And I could create objects that were within my mind.

I didn't really know much about computers until I was in high school when only the "nerds" were playing with decks of programming cards, and it wasn't until my medical residency when I had my first real experience with the first IBM PC with a green screen and a 5 1/4 floppy disk.  It was at that time that my experience as a child kicked back in.  The ability to explore, learn, test (and make mistakes) to develop my knowledge in computers, creating digital objects.  I didn't realize it at the time, but it was similar to my days in my fathers workshop learning to use tools by trial and (lots of) error, but now it was digital.

In both cases, my expertise came from hands-on experience.  It was from jumping in, exploring, testing, creating, reading and in many cases, failing, but always learning from those failures.  My formal instruction in both worlds, the machine shop and the computer keyboard was virtually non-existent.  It was Exploration, Error and Experience that taught me.  The three "E"s.

Which Skill Is More Important?

One might argue that one skill is more valuable than the other. Digital? Or Physical?  I would argue that they are both essential.  

Computers provide us with access to knowledge and information, and gives us the ability to understand highly complex data sets.  On the other hand, the ability to create something from raw materials provides us with the opportunity to make a physical item that we can use.  One may argue that one skill is more important than the other, but I suggest that we simply shouldn't try to compare them.  They are entirely different. But they share similar elements of creation of what is in our mind.  With a computer we can explore the vast amount of information and knowledge in the world to make the world (ideally) better.   With a physical item that we make, we can drive to a destination or dig a hole to plant seeds to grow food. 

How Did This Impact Me?

Looking back over my life, I see that both of these skills provided me with the ability to create.  These skills allowed me to do countless jobs around the house without having to call in help.  They also provided me with the experience to do what was needed for me to create a laboratory business from a blank page, with the understanding and ability to handle both physical and digital demands of that endeavor. 

I see that having both of those skill sets provided me with a background that set me up for success.  The independence of having my "own" knowledge set me up for success.  While I may not have been able to actually do everything that was necessary to be done, I at least understood what was needed to be done and was able to hire and monitor other's work with confidence. 

The Next Generation

Unfortunately I see that the younger generations of kids may not have the same experience that afforded me the richness of knowledge that served me well.  There are kids that are gaining experience in the digital world, and other that are becoming experts in the physical world.  However the number of the next generation with experience in both ... may be dwindling.  And that is not good.

Parents ... it's your responsibility to foster creativity in both the physical and digital world for your children.  Don't let one of these two worlds crowd the other out.  The future lies with those who will be able to combine the two to create something that is not possible from one of them alone.  The melding of digital and physical creation knowledge is necessary for the advancement of society.  Physical products and creations alone can only take us so far into the future.  Digital products and creations alone cannot fulfill the physical needs of a society. 

We need skills in both worlds.  Allow your children (and maybe even yourself) the gift of the three "E"s.  Explore. Make Errors.  Gain Experience. 

What Can You Do?

I believe that most households now have the digital tools to allow kids to explore that world.  Foster and provide your children with the tools that allows them to explore that world and develop digital mastery.  But do you have the physical tools that are necessary for kids to explore that world? Do you have a small workshop or garage workbench where kids can saw a piece of wood?  Hammer in some nails?  Blister their hands by screwing in wood screws with a manual screwdriver? Or bloody their knuckles tightening a bolt on their bicycle after fixing a flat tire? Or how about a kids size shovel and rake?  A place to dig a hole and plant a garden?  Watch nature take hold and grow into a real garden?

If not, then maybe it's something to consider.  Go to the hardware store with your kids and pick out some tools. Buy some seeds. Maybe some potting soil and pots.  Let them explore and create in the physical world.  Learn how to do many of the physical tasks they are capable of doing. And learning about the joys of creation in the physical world, either from you, or perhaps even better ... with you.

There are two different skill sets in the world.

Physical and Digital.

Are you (or your kids) lacking basic proficiency in either? 

If so, what can you do to gain that proficiency?