Source: https://www.wired.com/2012/10/ft-savage-first-car/
Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame relays his experience in learning how to parse complex systems which is a skill that he has used professionally ever since. Savage explains:
Every repair followed the same progression: (1) I don’t know how, (2) I can’t afford to pay someone else to do it, (3) I have to do it, (4) hey, that wasn’t so hard!
One of my teenage sons’ favorite shows is Mythbusters and while they may not yet appreciate the similarities they too have been learning how to deal with complex challenges. In the post I relayed the my son’s experience in diagnosing, disassembling and repairing a broken van door. Savage reminds us of the power that comes from solving these sorts of complex problems:
there’s a huge difference between not understanding something and not understanding it yet
Unfortunately, not enough people have the courage to try even the simplest of tasks. The following anecdotal story reveals just how pervasive this may be. My wife broke a windshield wiper the other day and went to local Canadian Tire for a replacement. At the check out the clerk asked if my wife would like a bag and my wife responded that a bag would not be necessary because our youngest son, Caleb, was going to immediately install the wiper–which he left to do. The clerks response was surprise and then turned to encouragement. She told my wife that most people had the shop install wipers even though they often had to wait a long time. The clerk went onto praise my wife that we had given our son a wonderful gift in teaching him how to do these sorts of things.
While I appreciate the kind words, I am also saddened and concerned by this experience. Replacing a windshield wiper is not even a task that my boys, or I, would consider complex–it is just something we all have to do. Teaching my children how to deal with complex systems and to solve problems shouldn’t be considered a gift–it is my responsibility as a parent. If I want my boys to grow into men of character who can positively contribute to society, they must not only learn how to solve ever day complex problems, they also need the courage and confidence to be able to tackle future problems that currently do not exist.
Are we as parents, schools and society doing enough to prepare our children to solve the complex problems that face society and the world?
