"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
Newskill: Argument
I thought about this challenge for awhile and I really didn't want to pick something that I myself am not skilled at. I don't know much about gardening, or first aid, or building; I don't know any language aside from English.
The thing I can do at least as well as anyone I know is argue a point. This may not seem like a terribly tangible thing to learn or teach, but it's a vital skill for bringing any sort of change to fruition. Even small changes are resisted, let alone some of the stuff that gets talked about here.
I know there are debate cla**** and argument tactics (things like placing the burden of proof on your opponent) but I'm talking about neither debate nor opponents. That's what the punditsthat infest American media do and it serves no real purpose other than to polarize. What I am talking about is being able to make cogent, clear statements to allow you to back up a point of view; put simply, reasoned discussion.
The only way I know of to build this skill is by engaging people (you know, actually talking with them) with your ideas and allowing them to tell you theirs, as often as possible. (I would include instructional sites, but they tend toward legal argument, academic argument, and couples counseling...)
Most of the rest is common sense. Respect the beliefs of others, try to stay friendly, etc. We all know these things.
However, there are a two things that I've learned that, again, I think are common sense, but are much harder for people to do, myself included; admit when you don't know something, admit it when you're wrong, and do both gracefully.
I'm fully aware that I'm putting this to a community that is brimming with skilled, thoughtful people who love nothing more than to argue the merit of their myriad ideas, but I still thought it an important skill to place here. If we can't convince others of our ideas, they are useless, and if we can't defend the opinions we hold dear, then we don't deserve to hold on to them.
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Comment by Ayala Sherbow on March 10, 2010 at 3:21am
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it sounds like you are describing something more important than the skill of rhetoric though. you allude to it when you say, " If we can't convince others of our ideas, they are useless, and if we can't defend the opinions we hold dear, then we don't deserve to hold on to them." As I understand it, you are not advocating the skill of argument for the sake of argument -- nor as a tool for "winning" -- rather you are advocating for the path of reasoned, critical DIALOGUE in the pursuit of truth. In pursuit of the best possible solution. This I applaud mightily! I think this is an important clarification. Please let me know whether this is what you were thinking, or did I read too much into it? in any case I am awarding you a resourcefulness point because you are taking inventory of what you have to offer and doing it!
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Comment by Damian Baeslack on March 10, 2010 at 4:33am
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I absolutely agree. Argument, defined as: A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood, is a tool. It all depends on how it's utilized. In the best case, it allows for critical dialogue, as you say, and the pursuit of truth should always be foremost.
Let's be honest though, every now and then an idea deserves to be crushed! ^_^
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