Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 277 posts

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#91

Post by read_if_gay_ »

adamsea wrote: post #78
Aeronwen wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It shouldn't, because the best people at playing the etiquette game are the ones you shouldn't trust. Which is why it's an important skill to learn. Because you too can exploit it for personal gain.

> because the best people at playing the etiquette game are the ones you shouldn't trust. Evidence? This assumes that “the etiquette game” is fundamentally untrustworthy, unimportant, or trivial.

I guess it is if you treat it as a game. I'm kinda surprised that even things like shaking hands and smiling are treated with so much disdain by some people. It just seems like Being Friendly 101 to me.

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#92

Post by ghaff »

jka wrote: post #73
ghaff wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's hard as an adult. I never learned as a child (grew up on a very narrow and winding country road) and I did kinda/sorta teach myself as an adult but I never gained the confidence to ride on roads with traffic. >even above driving And I have trouble agreeing for most people. Many need cars on a day-to-day basis and even if owning a car doesn't make sense for some people even in the US, being able to rent o…

Traffic's certainly a large barrier to entry; I learned to cycle as an adult too, and it took a long time to become comfortable cycling on anything other than quiet local roads. And you're right that many people can't currently practically use a bicycle in preference to a car. Some of that's no doubt due to the logistics involved in more remote communities, some of it could be related to urban infrastructure historic…

Circumstances certainly matter. I live in a small exurban town and, as a practical matter, I'd never use a bicycle for anything other than pure recreation. I also just don't have great balance in general so the relatively rare occasions when I do ride a bike on a forest road/carriage path, it's always a bit more of an adventure than is probably ideal.

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#93

Post by read_if_gay_ »

bserge wrote: post #67
x87678r wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it telegraphs if you care about us or not. If you dont care about what I think, what will happen if down the road things get rocky? You probably wont care about me then either and will bail or be unreliable.

What? And if you force me to do your social song and dance, does that telegraph that you don't care about me? I care about the person and the work. Not about whether they hold their spoon and knife in the right hand.

And if they did something more extreme like for example literally eat like a walrus? That wouldn't weird you out even a little bit? Nothing in the back of your mind would say "watch out for that guy, he seems a bit psychopath-y"?

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#96

Post by alvinncx »

The art of learning and educating oneself.

Our world is changing faster than ever and the only way to catch up and remain relevant is to master the art of learning. Learning through failures, learning through experience, learning through active discussion or learning through teaching—doesn’t really matter the mode, but find one that works for you and master this art. I find myself learning best through application, so I constantly find small opportunities in daily life and at work to try new techniques.

I’m believe that formal education (the kind you get an education loan for) is no longer sufficient to get ahead in life. Learning to self educate is key.

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#97

Post by taphangum »

Diagramming.

I'm serious.

The more I (as a developer trying to master design) delve into the product design space. The more I see that there is no more fundamental skill in design than that of constructing 'information architectures'. Essentially, mapping (or diagramming) the most important pieces of a design that you are making.

It is literally the key to creating a great design.

I wrote more about this in a guest post here: https://simpleprogrammer.com/information-architecture-develo....

Think about the design of Apple products, is it really just the way they look that makes you love them. Or is it more subtly, the way the work (of which UI is a component), and how that makes you feel?

Definitely worth thinking about.

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#98

Post by lwhalen »

Take a cue from Uncle Bob (Heinlein) and start working on his list:

A human being should be able to:

- change a diaper

- plan an invasion

- butcher a hog

- conn a ship

- design a building

- write a sonnet

- balance accounts

- build a wall

- set a bone

- comfort the dying

- take orders

- give orders

- cooperate

- act alone

- solve equations

- analyze a new problem

- pitch manure

- program a computer

- cook a tasty meal

- fight efficiently

- die gallantly

Specialization is for insects.

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#99

Post by PaulDavisThe1st »

Dowwie wrote: post #57

Among my top recommended life skills that I think may help people is the ability to manage one's feelings. You can train yourself to respond to fears and anxieties in productive ways, navigating through challenging life situations without being reduced to a minimal version of who you are. Don't take the following as an authoritative source on the subject. Use it to get started on your own path of development. 1. Medi…

I think you should have mentioned the single most important aspect of CBT: what you do can (and almost certainly will) affect how you feel. Since changing what you do tends to be easier than (just) changing how you feel, CBT encourages people to change their behaviors as a pathway to feeling better.

Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?

#100

Post by b112 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #84
sys_64738 wrote: post #80

Have a viable exit plan from working life. You don't always get to choose when you can no longer work.

Eerily timely advice for me. I've developed a persistent pain in my right wrist over this weekend. I guess RSI is finally getting me :/.

100 things can cause this, everything from mild food poisoning, to a specific food, gout, 100 things.

Could be you just had a bad meal.

Post reply on HN