Do you know how to sew a button?

Hey you. You are millenial, generation X, digital native,… but do you know how to cook or how to sew a button? In fact, it could be, and that doesn’t mean the end of the world! Older generations had very different lifes from us, or maybe they didn’t. But it’s true that they were more familiar (the traditional family) and the spent more time at home and, usually, in the same city were they had grown up. Home was a pillar to keep. However, nowadays, we are affected for the globalization in every meaning. We move the city/town more common, we accept more models of family and we have the continuous pressure to adapt to the new changes because the information is spread quicklier and quicklier. As a student, we fight to have some free time apart of the studying. As a young worker, we wish to have life further working and fulfilling tuppers (cooking or defreezing something). We are continuous tired of life. Everything is quickly and fast, as the internet’s information.

But wait, are we so busy or are we impatient? I think both of them. We don’t accept long waiting times. We need it now. Even if we make long term planes we have a subconscious idea of something faster. Run! That’s a race. Furthermore, we accept more types of families… and we accept to don’t have a family. We have a increasing wish to the individual pleasure and leisure. Hello individualism. This light bulb can stay one month more without working if I have a little more time to stay with my friends.

Maybe we really know how to sew or maybe we don’t. Maybe we would have time, maybe we don’t. Or it could be a choice. Daily-life is difficult to learn. Could be a new signature the solution? I think we don’t need. Many of the basic things could be teach through other areas. To sew in art, to recycle in natural sciences,…

In my opinion, the critical point stays in a simple point: do you know what is a citizen? Or even a human. One part of this topic would be solve learning philosophy (if we don’t kill the subject). We should learn in it different ways to think, formulate new questions and configure abstracts issues. In this point I miss, a lot, other basic staff that we almost don’t hear about (at least in Spain). Do you know the basics of your constitution? How works the tax system? Could you say how many human rights there are? Would be you able to explain how European Union works? There are so many important issues that most part of the people ignores, including schools programs. For example, most part of the people don’t notice how important is to have a name. But in fact, if you don’t have a name you are not able to be register somewhere, to have a nationality, make a contract or, basically, to have many other rights connected. You do not exist. With all the words: you do not exist. Just because the name. Now is when I said that the declaration about Children’s Rights declares that every child has the right to have an identity. Do you understand why?

Maybe is true and we need to reformulate the education system and to add new topics in old or new subjects. Please, don’t forget to be citizen. That’s the most important basic staff. It’s acceptable to don’t know how to sew a button but don’t that you don’t know the importance of your name.

Written by Alba Rivera Flechoso from Spain