Heinlein

[chuckro]

Robert Heinlein: "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."

Of those, I am very certain I can (because I have already done): Write a sonnet, balance accounts, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, and cook a tasty meal.

I am moderately certain that, if called upon, I could: Build a wall, comfort the dying, pitch manure, and die gallantly.

With a little training (as I have the basic required skills), I could probably manage: Change a diaper, butcher a hog, and program a computer.

I would need extensive training/practice to: Plan an invasion, conn a ship, design a building, or fight efficiently.

What about you?

Comments

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

I have: Written a sonnet (terrible), balanced accounts, taken orders, given orders, cooperated, acted alone, solved equations, analyzed new problems, cooked tasty meals, built walls, done light manure-pitching (just one goat, just a day's accumulation), done as well as I could in comforting the dying, changed diapers, programmed computers.

I have experience relating to: Designing a building, butchering a hog (breaking down large cuts and large fowl, cleaning fish).

I hope I could, without training: Die gallantly.

If asked to manage neither strategy nor tactics, I could probably chip in effectively on invasion logistics.

I'm not even sure what "fight efficiently" means. Fire discipline? Energy-conserving martial arts?

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

Missed: Set a bone. Well, I've read the first aid instructions on how to do so, but I'm probably a good candidate only as an alternative to imminent death.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I was assuming "fight effeciently" was "fight with some demonstration of skill and/or planning", as opposed to the schoolyard random flailing pretty much anyone can do. I can throw a solid punch and fire a rifle with some accuracy, but that doesn't mean you'd want me backing you up when the MEN WITH GUNS came to steal your stuff.

[(Anonymous)]

We all know that I can change a diaper and fight efficiently (with no weapon other than my wit), and I've had some bones set, so I know I can't do that and I wouldn't want to. I'm fine on cooking an tasty meal, shoveling shit, and designing a building (library). Write a sonnet (yup), balance accounts (yup, although I pretend I can't, I do manage the $4 million library budget VERY efficiently), and I sure can take and give orders (emphasis on the latter.) I did comfort Grandpa Nick when he was dying, I'm great alone, analyzing problems, and building walls, having memorized my Robert Frost. The problem comes with butcher a hog-- why bother when we have a perfectly good Waldbaums and I vastly prefer spinach?-- and conn a ship, which I don't even understand. The BIG issues, however, are solve equations and program a computer. I can't even program my cell phone.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx