Skills Over Screens

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- It's perfectly fine to dream big, but dreaming without skills is essentially nothing more than wishing. In the height of technological advancements and automation, you can instantly access things with just one tap of a screen, like a genie in a bottle, faithfully there to give us 3 wishes in an instant. However, these conveniences come at a cost. While digital advancements offer us time-saving and readily available resources, it doesn't provide us the opportunity to learn life skills.

Throughout our lives, we've witnessed how the older generation make their livelihoods through their bare hands. They tilled the soil to cultivate vegetables, wielded hammers to build furniture, and used screwdrivers to install lighting fixtures. They even possessed the resourcefulness to prepare their meals. These tasks demanded more effort and time, but in return, they gained valuable life skills.

What are life skills? Life skills encompass a broad range of abilities that enable us to navigate the complexities of life. They include practical skills like cooking, woodworking, gardening, and even cleaning. These abilities are more than just tools for survival, they are the building blocks of personal growth and resilience. From there, springs forth, decision-making, prioritizing, and organizing skills.

The concept of skills may dwindle with the rise of artificial intelligence. Information and digital advancements are highly prized today while the development of life skills has taken a backseat in education. Education, once intended to empower individuals to reach their fullest potential by stimulating their mental, emotional, and physical capacities, now seems to prioritize theoretical knowledge over practical wisdom. The ultimate goal is self-actualization, to become the best version of ourselves. How then can this be achieved?

The answer lies in immersing ourselves in experiences. We must be willing to get our hands dirty, even if it means extra effort. Life's challenges should not be solved solely through convenience and shortcuts. True mastery comes from rigorous, hands-on experience. Skills do not fall out of the sky. It's the result of small, incremental self-improvements that make the greatest impact over time.

Think for a moment about your abilities. Can you balance a bike, play a musical instrument, swim across a pool, or win a chess match? How do these skills make you feel about yourself? True confidence should stem from your capacity to perform tasks. Therefore, it's justified to grant yourself the opportunity to experience life in its rawest form. Authenticity means living life as it's meant to be lived without filters.

Research indicates that self-efficacy, the belief in one's ability to accomplish tasks, is crucial for improving our well-being. The more life experiences we accumulate, the better equipped we become to face life's challenges. Self-efficacy is not something confined to theory. It is something developed through real-world participation and application. Intelligence alone cannot replace the value of skills. Skills are the wellspring of wisdom, and the ability to manage our lives surpasses all else in importance.

By all means, pursue your dreams. However, never forget that your ability to make wise decisions and withstand life's trials will determine the quality of your life. It is the true measure of success. In a world increasingly dominated by screens and technology, let us not forget the timeless value of skills acquired through experience. Embrace life's challenges, learn from them, and grow into the best version of yourself. After all, the skills you acquire, not the screens you possess, will help you reach your dreams in life.