this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2026
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I suppose it would be mostly practical skills, cooking, fixing things. Usually had to be done by people themselves.

Maybe also mental things like navigating (with or without paper map) and remembering their daily and weekly agendas.

What other things would be a big difference with the people today?

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[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Using a rotary phone. looking up a book in a card catalog. The ability to solve your own problems.

[–] Jack_Burton@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The ability to solve your own problems.

IMO, critical thinking is the single most important skill a human can learn. Teach a man to fish and all that.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They don't/cant learn that in today's world. They have abandoned learning and switched it out with answers to everything.

[–] phlegmy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

@grok can u explane wat bro sed in inglish plees

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

Look a perfect example.

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Was with you untill the solve your own probles thing. I know of way many people who did not solve their own problems 50 yrs ago, passing their problems to their children instead.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

When I was very young around 50 years ago I built a small flashlight using a plastic tick tack box, paper clips,a flashlight bulb and two AAA batteries. No one showed me how I just figured it out. So just because you couldn't see the problem solvers among you doesn't mean they were not there.

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Yep, and that is still true. I was thinking more of the what to make of your life, family and mental health problems solving though.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago

I don't know if you are asking a question about my life choices but I see a therapist regularly. My children answer the phone when I call and when something breaks people come to me for a fix. I'm fine, better than most.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

People got more practice solving their own problems, anyway. Education to use for that was unambiguously lower, though, and there was plenty of people just not solving problems.

[–] SolarBoy@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I wish I was better at solving my own problems. But also depends on what you consider solving your own problems is, exactly.
I learned early not to rely on other people, so I tended to look up everything I need in books and online.

But some problems are not solved with research, or suggestions from others online.
Some problems are only solved by giving yourself time to process them yourself.

This is something I'm still lacking in, perhaps because I always searched outside of myself for solutions.
I'm amazed by the solutions some people can come up with without having access to information from books/online.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

It sounds like you are better at it than most kids these days. I look up solutions all the time. No sense reinventing the wheel. I've also spent days on some problem without looking elsewhere for a solution. The dopamine from solving a problem myself is excellent.