One of the habits of our society, in almost all manners, is to swing from one side to the other when it comes to habits, opinions, priorities, etc. One of the ways our educational systems have shifted over the last 100 years or so is away from practical, hands-on skills. Things that were second nature and a necessity to learn for most people became tertiary with the industrial revolution and perhaps even less than tertiary with the advent of so many things to do indoors. Thus, we’ve lost basic knowledge of nature, from the forests to the fields.
Not only does the lack of knowledge put people in danger when they actually do venture out, but the simple lack of presenting it causes a lack of opportunity. Opportunity to grow and explore and perhaps to find a lifestyle and work you enjoy.
Beyond that, our general lack of knowledge puts the environment at even more risk than it would be if we were doing everything the same but had the knowledge of the past. Too many people forget that feeding animals is usually a net-negative for the animal, they touch wild animals and pass disease, they don’t know what allowing their dog to poop anywhere does. These are basic things that threaten the health of our ecosystem that people have acknowledged for millennia. All that being said, would basic education in these matters be a worthwhile pursuit? Or would the money be better spent on people to fight the damaging effects we’ve had?
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