Dumber than we used to be, she said.
We are not as smart as our grandparents
And our kids are going to be dumber still
Which made me wonder
Is that true?
I think about the things my Papaw did and knew
A garden full of fresh veggies every year
Muscadines on the vine he turned into wine
Even though he didn’t drink
So many blackberries they made at least 50 big jars of jam
and mixed them into the homemade ice cream we churned on the patio
A freezer full of deer and fish
A second freezer in the garage with more fish
Two rifles on a rack in the hallway, ammo in the drawer on the rack
A couple of pistols scattered around the house
One in his nightstand, another under a cigar box full of knick knaks in the table by his chair
There were cords of wood stacked up beside the garage from storm downed trees set to dry out and season
And shelves full of…
Stuff
Empty jars. Tools. Nails. Screws. Pieces and parts and just in case we need ‘ems stacked to overflowing
Sure, it looked like a hoarder’s nightmare
Unorganized and stacked and stuffed until even the rafters were full and sagging
Old fishing poles and cane poles and line, old nets and ropes and empty buckets
Handsaws, and hammers and wrenches and drivers
I think of all the things he had, and it reminds me of all the things he could do
Fix engines. Build houses. Plumb. Frame. Run wire. Trench. Roof.
I know he could do them because he built the house they lived in, and then took me on as an apprentice when I was still a kid
So I learned some things too
How to shoot. Hunt. Catch.
How to build.
All this knowledge I have, and not half of what he knew
So much lost as we became more advanced
So much pride in carrying all the knowledge of the world in my pocket
Yet can’t tell you which vine to strip the leaves and boil into a paste to make a poultice
Unless I look it up
I don’t want to demonize the advancements
But all this access to “smart” things were supposed to be an enhancement
Except…
I look at my nephews, look at my own kids and see a problem
If something happened and all the lights went out
None of them could plant or grow or forage
My son could hunt ducks and deer,
But everyone would be hunting ducks and deer-
None of them could skin a rabbit or shoot a squirrel and make stew
They wouldn’t know what to do
And it made me think about the trade off’s we make
Learning one thing over the other
In school and in life
I talked about never using algebra, but I want a pharmacist to know it
My sister’s baby died when a pharmacy tech misread a doctor’s prescription so she mixed too much of one compound into his medicine and made the 3 month old OD.
Fractions are important. So is handwriting.
(The lawsuit blamed the pharmacy, but the Doctor who can’t write got off scott free)
They never had to teach gardening in school, because it was something people learned at home
And now with grocery stores and Doordash
No one “needs” to know how to grow food
Unless something happens
It could…
I’m not sure it will, but the possibility exists
And if it did
How long would you last?
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