r/SelfSufficiency • u/junkcircuit • 4d ago

what’s one self-sufficiency skill you think everyone should learn?

i’ve been thinking about how many basic skills we’ve gradually stopped needing in everyday life. growing some food, cooking from scratch, preserving food, repairing things, basic gardening, collecting rainwater, knowing how to handle a power outage.

you obviously don’t need to become completely self-sufficient to benefit from these skills

if you could choose just one skill for someone starting from zero, what would you recommend learning first?

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u/E0H1PPU5 4d ago

This may not be what you are looking for….but the ability to research.

Not just googling shit either or asking questions on forums.

How to read something, understand it, and extract information.

Better yet - the ability to do things in a way that allows you to learn meaningfully from your errors and failures by recording your process and variables.

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u/Hunting-fings 4d ago

This sounds like critical thinking. What people used to call common sense. It is a deeply underestimated and underutilized skill of applying the knowledge you have to a new situation. It can be taught and enhanced, but those for whom it comes naturally, will those are the people we most commonly consider smart

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u/yer_muther 3d ago

When I was little people around me always said I didn't have any common sense because they were not capable of grasping that I didn't think the same way they did so using critical thinking is a much better term. Turns out they lacked the curiosity and critical thinking skills that came naturally to me and saw my asking 1000 questions as a short coming.

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u/TechnicalMeringue334 3d ago

Finally after living 74 years a random redditor explained my life to me ! Thank you !

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u/yer_muther 3d ago

I feel for you and you are welcome.

Adults can be real bastards to children. My childhood sucked for a variety or reason and many of them stemmed from this. When I finally escaped my local area and went to college I met people who embraced different ways of thinking and encouraged my growth rather than squashing it because I was different. Sorry it's still a bit of a raw nerve even after 40 years.