I read the article "The Lost Art of Becoming Good at Things" by Corbett Barr onExpertEnough.com and it got me thinking about those skills we used to pass down to our children and grandchildren.
Fishing with Grandpa
Remember when kids used to "tag along" with their elders and learn something? Were you one of those kids, one of the taggers along? Perhaps in hopes that Grandpa would buy you an ice cream cone or some other treat along the way. Were you the one on the other end of the "Pull my finger" joke?
Article excerpt:People want to become experts at all kinds of things, but the truth is most people don’t actually want to put in the effort becoming an expert really requires. (Shellie "or the effort to teach another person")
Here’s my question for you: Has the art of becoming good at things been lost on today’s instant gratification society?
And if we have become a society of armchair experts, what does that mean for those of us who actually like to get good at things? Is it easier or harder to acquire new skills given all the resources (and distractions) that exist today? Read the entire article here.
So how does this tie in with Virginia State Parks?
Kids Fishing Day
Fishing with Grandma at Natural Tunnel State Park
In the article the author stated:
Americans on average spend two months per year glued to the TV set. Kids spend nearly 8 hours a day consuming media, including TV, playing video games and surfing the internet.
Learning and doing are losing to watching and playing.
Sure, TV and the Internet can be used to learn useful things, but they can’t replace real world experience. And let’s be honest, how many of those 8 hours a day do you think are really spent learning?
Actual skills and knowledge have taken the back seat. Real world skills are losing out to video games, and knowledge is losing out to beliefs. Guitar heroes have been replaced by Guitar Heroes™.
A simple thought from me: TV, video games, internet, electronic media = in here. Mountains, rivers, lakes, kayaks, bikes, fishing poles = out there.
I know this isn't a totally lost art, I believe there are still people, especially in old time Virginia who continue to pass down skills and learning to their kids and grandkids. (I shared the above photos as proof!)
I live in a small town in the Blue Ridge foothills and I see parents and grandparents passing down hunting skills, fishing skills, farming skills, bluegrass, cooking, canning and gardening. Mountain people have always been self-sufficient, determined and independent, traits I admire.
One of the things that brought a tear to my eye last year at gorgeous lake, and I wondered "Were the Mom and Dad divorced? Does he even have a Mom and Dad?"
I know this is getting pretty heavy for a blog article, but seeing this little chap out there forgetting his troubles for a spell, focusing on catching fish and keeping his line untangled just moved me.
As our State Parks Director always says "Virginia State Parks are a therapeutic tonic for the mind, body and spirit."
So as a parent or grandparent what skills are you teaching your children? Are you encouraging them to grow, gain knowledge and become good at something? Will they learn by your example? "Practice makes perfect" and all of those cliches that we heard a million times growing up, and somehow they ring true and stick.
As Confucius says “Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you’ve fed him for a lifetime.” Good ol' Confucius, I think he got it right!
The author of the article finally asks "How many hours of TV did you watch this week? How much time did you spend mindlessly surfing the Internet?"
I ask "Isn't it time to get outside?" Visit the Virginia State Parks website to see how many fishin' holes we have. Pack up the old pick-up truck, bring the dog, the grandkids and get out there.