You'd be surprised don't know how to do what the majority of us consider basic survival skills. For example, before the age of 10, I knew how to cook basic meals and knew how to scrub a bathroom until it shone. I've done my mother proud since then. (Yes, I might also fear her judgment if I don't maintain good habits, lol).
After Redditor Currynrice asked the online community, "What is a useful skill everyone should know?" people chimed in with their suggestions. Take note: You might learn something.
"When I was in high school..."
When I was in high school and failed to get a summer job, my dad made me cook every meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for the family, every day, for the whole summer, as "punishment". On top of that, I wasn't allowed to ever repeat a dish. Worked my way through a whole cookbook, and then some.
It ended up being inadvertently the most valuable "lesson" he ever taught me. Being able to cook a wide variety of really good meals is a constant source of simple joy in my life... not to mention, it's a massive advantage in the dating scene.
"Learn to identify..."
Learn to identify scam messages:
No, your computer is not infected with flashing multicolor ViRuSeS.
No, hot singles are not waiting to meet you.
No, you didn't win a contest you didn't enter.
No, Nigerian Princes are not sharing their fortunes.
No, the IRS is not calling you to ask for your personal info or for gift cards.
"A lot of people..."
How to listen. A lot of people currently tend to lack the ability to actually listen. It's not about shouting points at each other, it's about shutting up and actually listening to what the other person is saying.
"First aid..."
Giphy
First aid and CPR should be a school requirement with certification before kids turn 15.
"Seriously, too many people..."
How to write an email. Seriously, too many people go out into the wide world with no idea how to write a professional-level email. Writing one the same way you text won't cut it when you are looking for a job.
"How to break out..."
How to break out of someone's grip. I've taught my wife, my daughter, many of my female friends, and back in the day when I was a daycare teacher, all of my students. We had someone try to kidnap one of our older kids once, and that was it, that very day I taught all of the kids and drilled it with them over the next couple of weeks. Even had a Grandmother come in to pick up her Granddaughter and ask for me specifically so that she could thank me for showing her granddaughter how to do that.
Thing to remember, do not try to pull against their fingers, you can hold your body weight by your fingers (think of hanging from the monkey bars by your fingers). Instead pull towards their thumb. The thumb is weak in comparison to the fingers. Also scream "Fire!!", Not help. People react faster to "Fire!!" Then they do for "Help!!" I hope this helps. Many basic self-defense classes will go over this and more. Remember You don't need to be an MMA fighter to get yourself out of a bad situation.
"Everyone should be able..."
Basic car care. Everyone should be able to change their own oil and rotate their tires, at a minimum. Both are super simple and require only a few tools but can save you a lot of money.
"Basic butchering..."
Basic butchering (vegans are exempt). Filleting fish, breaking down poultry things like that. You never know when you will be able to buy whole chicken but not boneless skinless chicken tenders.
It seems..."
How to study correctly. It seems like a small thing but the majority of my school life I didn't have to study at all and I did well anyway. But later on it gets so much harder just to retain information. Learning to study good and well is a skill everyone should learn.
"This skill alone..."
How to negotiate. This skill alone has improved my and my family's life manyfold.
"Anyone can be a boss..."
How to lead effectively. Anyone can be a boss but it takes a special frame of mind to be a good leader.
"The ability to shut up..."
The ability to shut up sometimes and acknowledging that some things might be your fault.
"You can make..."
Sewing. It's extremely useful. You can make/ patch up your own clothes, learn to tie different knots, etc. My mother owns an online embroidery business so one of the first things she started to teach me was how to sew.
This is her business website btw, if you need personalized clothes or masks or something:
"I have fond memories..."
Cooking. My dad would cook everyday for us growing up. I have fond memories as a kid standing by the stove watching him whip up amazing home cooked meals for us. Knowing how to cook full meals as a teenager impressed a lot of girls and their parents. Knowing how to cook good food as an adult provides me with a really high quality of health. Healthy cooking is something everyone needs to know how to do!
"Not only would it prevent..."
How to fight.
Not only would it prevent you from being bullied, but it will prevent you from being a bully. People vastly underestimate how regular fight training - jiu jitsu, boxing, wrestling, and Muay Thai - makes actual physical confrontations relatively distasteful. (Side benefit - getting your ass kicked is a healthy dose of humility that every human should experience at least once.)
"So many people..."
How to see things differently. So many people especially here on Reddit are so caught up in their own views or opinions that they only think how to prove their own views correct, and absolutely refuse to try and view things from a different perspective because they want to be right. Mention anything here on reddit regarding Trump in a non-critical point of view and you will get hammered by downvotes for simply mentioning the orange man in a positive light.
Speaking of which the upvote/downvote system doesnt help this either as it will just domino because of peoples self confirmation/confirmation bias as soon as they see 0 or negative points beside a post or comment.
Being able to actually sit down with someone you disagree with and have a respectable discussion rather than an argument is what actually makes changes happen. Some people still dont get that getting angry or demonizing someone for their views on a subject only pushes them further into where their opinion lies rather than pulling them away from it, after all if you are demonizing them for having different views than your own, why would they want to join sides with you?
"So many tasks revolve..."
Writing is so important, especially when you get into the working world. I find a lot of my training of new workers (customer service) is just getting them to write an acceptable professional email. So many tasks revolve around clear written communication.
"Getting angry..."
How to rationalize things that happen so you don't get angry. This helps in all aspects of life. Getting angry is always the worst thing to do in most situations even when it's the normal response.
"No."
How to accept the answer "no" and be resilient. "No" can send you a different direction but perhaps gain more valuable experience and a better outcome. It can also plain out suck. Bounce back.
"Close your mouth."
Basic manners. Close your mouth when chewing. Blow your nose, don't snort and sniff endlessly. Open doors for people, look behind you so as not to slam doors in faces. Wait for people to exit the elevate/subway, giving them room.... Basic stuff. Be generally polite.
"Learning to look..."
Learning to look at all news stories with a critical eye.
Narratives are on all sides, we need to all learn to develop our own opinions and not blindly listen to others.
"Your brain is biased..."
Critical thinking. Your brain is biased and trying to trick you. Question it always.
"A very simple thing..."
Meditation. A very simple thing but will change your whole life for good. Just 5 minutes with you and your thoughts in a quiet place with simple but deep breathings. Did this for 5 minutes a day for a month and boom, no depression no loneliness.
"Even in a small space..."
Gardening. Even in a small space, a small container, you can grow something.
"How to take things apart..."
Learn some mechanical stuff. How to take things apart and put them back together.
"If you drive..."
If you drive, basic auto maintenance. Just being able to change a battery or a tire can make a huge difference.
While autos have become increasingly hard to maintain there are still plenty of things you can do yourself.
"Probably..."
Touch typing. Probably one of the most useful day to day skills i know and is invaluable for work. Should be one of the basic skills they teach you at school.
"It's easy to learn..."
Learning another language. sign language included. It's easy to learn, can be great if you need communication with someone deaf or mute, and can be put on a resume for being fluent in another language, especially for retail jobs.
"At least one person..."
How to sew. Who do you want on your side long term in the apocalypse? At least one person who can mend and make clothes. I'm not very good at this but I'm learning. And you don't need to be super super good at it. Just good enough at it that you're not exposing yourself to the elements.
Also being able to fix clothes is convenient and being able to make clothes is fun.
"If you ever forgot your keys..."
Lockpicking. If you ever forgot your keys this is probably the best alternative.
It's legal, but only if you lock pick locks YOU own.
"This will get you anywhere."
Being polite and showing respect and gratitude.
This will get you anywhere.
"How to deal..."
How to deal with emotional pain in a healthy way. Pain is inevitable.
"Establish..."
Establish who is really benefitting from what you're supposed to do. I think this is why people are supposed to hate the objectivists. Everything you're supposed to believe is bad for you.
"How to tell when you are..."
How to tell when you are on a downward spiral, what you can do to stop it going downward, and how to help step yourself back up to being okay; and most importantly, how to forgive yourself for spiraling down.
If you can start learning early warning signs; cravings, self-talk, and such, you can learn to catch it earlier and it's not as much work to get back to okay.
Side note: it's okay to not be okay. Definitely. But working towards okay is easier if you can catch earlier your signs and movement towards a downward spiral. You're doing great!!
"When I was around 12..."
When I was a kid, I was that fat guy with the glasses, so things where not always easy back then.
When I was around 12 years old, I got invited to a Kyokushin karate lesson and stuck with it for 15 years. It wasn't about learning to fight others. It was about overcoming your fears, limits, and not giving up when things get hard. I gained confidence and character from these lessons.
This still affects my life on a daily basis in a very positive way and I am still grateful for everything I've learned during this time. I believe it will make any human being a stronger (I mean mentally) person, and help you overcome every day obstacles in life.
"Most of the time..."
Time management. I live by my planner but I still leave room for flexibility. Most of the time I come across people who either are way too rigid or have no sense of responsibility with keeping a schedule at all. Too often people wait until the last second and I just can't imagine how someone does that multiple times and not lose their mind. Learn to multitask, prioritize and be conscientious and adulting is less intimidating.
"Learn how to..."
How to cook basic things. Roast a chicken, make a lasagna, things like that. Learn how to season well. Learn how to prep efficiently. There's are small things to know that can make anyone confident in the kitchen.
"Hopefully..."
Basic first aid and CPR. Hopefully, this is a skill that you never actually need to use, but if it is needed, you could literally save a life.
"I've repaired..."
Sewing. Not even necessarily how to use a sewing machine, at least just hand sewing. I've repaired so many clothing items, backpacks, blankets and even furniture. I just can't stress how useful it is.
"You would be surprised..."
Basic money management. You would be surprised how many people have no clue on how to manage their budgets.
Bonus points if you understand compound interest.
"Especially if you happen..."
Basic kitchen skills. You don't have to be a great cook, but knowing basic cooking practices (knife skills, roasting something in the oven, sautéing, etc.) is invaluable. Especially if you happen to develop any sort of dietary restrictions later on (whether from allergies, weight issues, other health problems, or by choice) where being able to make even the most simple meal in the kitchen might be a lifesaver.
"Learning to budget..."
Time management.
If you find yourself not having enough time, it's either you (a) are wasting time on things that aren't important in the long run, or (b) you are biting off more than you can chew by accepting too many responsibilities.
Time is a lot like money; you don't realize you're running out until it's usually too late. Learning to budget your time like you (hopefully) do your money goes a long way in making sure you have time to do what you need to do, as well as removing things that aren't important from your schedule.
"Where I live..."
Learn how to drive. Even if you can't afford/don't need a car then you have your license and that can't be taken away from you (unless you mess up bad enough).
So many people I know can't drive and it's a huge inconvenience and it means they're dependent on other people. Where I live doesn't have good public transport links so driving is basically essential here.
You never know when you may need to drive a car so it's best to just know how and to get your license.
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
- People Explain What The Smartest Person They Know Does For A ... ›
- People Explain Which Skills They've Picked Up In Quarantine ... ›
- People Explain Which Lessons They Learned Too Late In Life - George Takei ›
- People Describe The One Thing That Always Makes Them Think 'That Person Has No Manners' - George Takei ›
Reddit user Purple_Pineapple_752 asked:
"If God gave you his powers for 1 hour, What would you do?"
So here's the thing, Reddit has no chill.
Like none.
So every random whim, thought, or chip on people's shoulders certainly came out in the comments.
And honestly... it's delicious.
Some Redesigns Needed
"Redesign human knee and shoulder joints. Because, seriously, I've got some bug reports that have been ignored."
- m_sporkboy
"You’ve got my vote! As a nearly 30yr old with chronic arthritis, I’d say thank you!"
- RiskyBisc
"Yup. Tore my ACL the other month in college football and am now a 'house potato' according to my dad."
- Bu11tproofTiger
"Both of my shoulders are reconstructed. My hips are finished as well an I'm in my 30s ."
"I think the human body needs to be made of better quality parts at this point lol"
- lolparty247
GiphyGame Time
"Elected politicians, and candidates for office can no longer lie."
"Intentionally or unintentionally, every thing they express will be truth. If they try to lie, it will come out truth."
"This is not meant to be wholly benevolent."
"No half truths. No vagaries. The plain and objective truth, or silence. Those are their options."
"And it applies to all elected politicians, officially government sponsored ones (MPs) or otherwise, like say the elected spokesman of the IRA."
"Let the games begin."
- AlphaTangoFoxtrt
"This is actually terrifying."
"Imagine you are elected. You want to know the nuclear launch codes? No worries, just try to state the first character in the sequence."
"You cannot lie. So what you say will come out as correct. Now just have someone write it down."
"Want the password to the white house twitter account? No worries, just get someone to vote you into some form of office. Could be you and joe-no-body, it doesn't matter."
"Privacy would end overnight."
"No no no, you want them to not be able to tell intentional lies. Then at least it's limited to things they know. And just for good measure, give every elected official a strong sense of questioning their own knowledge."
- UFO64
"I feel like this power will end up being a monkeys paw. You try to do good but it has an equal/opposite reaction..."
"You make it so politicians can't lie, and the followers just accept it and still vote them into power."
"Make it so people have critical thinking and aren't easily misled by conspiracies and propaganda, then I dunno, maybe we find out we needed conspiracies in our life and we now no longer question anything.. Idk.."
"You remove corruption and it has some unforeseen knock on impact where now South American or African countries become super powers and a new cold war erupts with new players."
"Yeh monkeys paw... Beware of this power..."
- splashbodge
GiphyToast Technicalities
"Create various images on toast and have fun watching believers react to them."
- CaptchaSolvingRobot
"But technically... they would be right because it was you as God!! You!!"
- SonOfARemington
"I’ve often wondered how many people eat their Jesus toast without ever bothering to check."
"Extending the thought, how many people actually do check their toast only to think to themselves, 'Hey! It’s Keanu Reeves!' ”
- smeeding
GiphyCan We Vote For This Person?
"1st of all, I would make it so that everyone napping always wakes up refreshed. All naps now last 23 minutes but feel like 4 hours of perfect sleep."
"Nothing is addictive."
"All men are given perfect recall about everything their wives have said or done."
"All women obtain positive body images."
"Taco trees."
"People who are cool never have their shoe laces come undone. A-holes have their laces break every Friday."
"Dogs stay small puppies for 3 extra months and come out potty trained."
"Turtles can play trumpet."
"America switches to metric with no fuss."
"The internet makes sense to everyone over 70....but they chose to avoid social media anyway."
"Corn syrup goes away."
"All religions announce simultaneously that God is kinda... but not exactly gay."
"Every swastika owned drawn or tattooed is slowly burned away over a week. It hurts really bad and is replaced by a picture of a teddy bear blowing a very startled looking Nick Cage."
- Ethandrul
"You had me at trumpet turtles and taco trees."
- fallen87angel
"I also choose this god."
- PBnBacon·
GiphyAssuming I'm Still Interested
"Assuming I’m still really interested in Earth, get us back to zero or a good starting point."
"Remove all trash and pollution everywhere. It just ceases to exist."
"Complete all municipal separated storm sewer projects instantly."
"Instantly create storm water gardens wherever necessary. Instantly eliminate lawn culture and convert to lawn alternatives to eliminate run off."
"Instantly convert all power generation to safe thorium nuclear and renewable. Instantly convert all sea shipping to clean nuclear."
"Instantly convert all cars to electric. Create charging stations at every residence."
"Instantly convert all heavy construction equipment to a safer fuel (I don’t know what yet). Instantly put solar panels on every structure/house. Instantly create bike lanes everywhere. Instantly create bike culture of the Netherlands everywhere."
"Upgrade everywhere to high speed rail systems similar to Japan. Switch all roads to permeable pavement."
"Instantly perform major upgrades on every structure, road and bridge everywhere. Have all work go to new construction and maintenance."
"Instantly install field drains and timer stadium lights in all playing fields."
"Instantly process all rape kits in all police stations."
"Instantly repair all playgrounds and park features everywhere."
"Automatically register everyone to vote. Create 10 new states out of Texas and California. Instantly pass political reform."
"Legalize all drugs. Instantly create more treatment centers."
"Instantly cure all ailments that are in recovery in hospital and would cure naturally. Instantly move those patients back home."
"Instantly kill all patients who would die naturally. Instantly inform all families."
"Instantly remove all graveyards and eliminate practice of saving dead. Create new ritual of donation to science or turn into tree."
"Instantly create depression cure. Instantly create obesity cure. Instantly create formula to grow/repair existing teeth."
"Instantly change taxation rate to post WW2 for businesses. Instantly change view of all workers to pro-union."
"Instantly identify and eliminate all political corruption. Have everyone just realize all this exists."
"Eliminate all religious belief everywhere. Instantly create belief in helping neighbors, being a good person, and creating a heaven on earth."
"Eliminate all mosquitoes. Bring back bees."
"Is time up? Was that an hour?"
- winnower8
GiphyOne Solution To The Fossil Fuel Issue
"Having given it some thought:"
"Easy parthenogenesis for all humans, regardless of their biological sex and mental identity."
"And the natural ability to self terminate pregnancies. And self. That would wipe out a whole bunch of angst and repression in the world."
"The ability to fly, as someone else suggested, at fairly rapid speeds. This would vastly change society, no more cars, planes, elevators, stairs, possibly no more country borders, it would be nearly impossible to enforce. The demand for oil would plummet and the environment would be healthier."
"Extra longevity, with senescence happening only a few years before death."
- CanadianJogger
GiphyGenderqueer Garlic Bread
"Make an easily accessed and super powerful source of electrical energy that's renewable and environmentally friendly, it's also easily accessed (this could just be 100% efficient solar gen, or a generator that somehow turns heat back into useable energy? I dunno I'll be god, I could figure it out)."
"Cure All Diseases"
"Humanity now has the ability to magically transform themselves freely to look however they choose, provided it's still anthropomorphic."
"I'm genderqueer; this would make it so all the non-cis people wouldn't need expensive drugs and surgery, or suffering, although I guess we'd be dealing with a few furries but y'know that's fine with me."
"Reverse earth's environmental damage back to pre-industrial while maintaining all the infrastructure changes."
"Finally, all major US and Canadian highways are underground and infinitely maintainable, AND there's also Bullet Trains that run underground with them along the WHOLE interstate/400 Series and Extension/Trans-Can that way I NEVER HAVE TO DRIVE AN HOUR TO WORK AGAIN."
"AND all Cities with populations over 10K have more-than-adequate 100% free public transit that's also so efficient the busses/trains/trolleys/whatever are never late."
"OH one more thing: Since everyone is gonna be sexy because of the Shapeshifting, everyone is either pansexual, or ace, and the people that are ace aren't seen as weird and are completely respected in their orientation. And we all have an innate sense both to locate each other and to locate garlic bread."
- someBrokeCanadian
GiphyThe Timer
"I would set a timer for 10 years and then everyone dies and the earth explodes. I would make everyone aware of the timer."
"I think that would eliminate a lot of bullshit around the world like war and hate, and would make for a really good last time alive until we all die together."
"Am I a weirdo?"
- DoobieMcBeast
GiphySky Farm
"Erase COVID"
"Curse everyone whose name was listed in the Pandora Papers to spontaneously explode somewhere in public and just let the media chips fall where they will."
"Create a sky-dwelling jellyfish that eats carbon fumes and whose tentacles contain a chemical that makes you feel total euphoria for 8 hours straight."
"See how long it takes humans to turn them into a carbon-sucking, drug-producing sky farm animal."
- NebulaPlural
"I am 100% on board for carbon-Hoover-jelly-sky-fish-farms."
"Magnificent."
- sinskins
Giphy"Because Who Wouldn't?"
"I'd get rid of all mental impairment diseases and conditions. Alzheimers, Dementia, the severe mental impairment that some kids are born with (Not sure what the various conditions are called)."
"I would make humans and other animals immune to cancer. I would extend healthy human lifespans by another 50 years, and dogs and cats can also live as long as humans."
"I would then give humans the ability to research and cure other diseases and ailment so that mankind could eventually have treatments for such things as they come along. I say this because I only get an hour and things will appear in the future that can't be predicted (even with God's power)."
"And lastly, I'd of course, give my self a bigger dick, because who wouldn't?"
- ClownfishSoup
GiphyOh you didn't honestly think we were going to get through an article about god-like powers and NOT have someone use it for penises... did you?
Come on now.
You're not THAT new on the internet.
You know how people are around here.
What would YOU use your god-like powers for now that you've read some of Reddits ideas? Let us know in the comments.
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