What a Young Man should Know

[JT]

What a Young Man should Know
From Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries

Just what a young man is good for at age 21 is a good question, but more depends upon his family than his school. This, of course, is assuming that he has a family. In today's culture there seems to be less and less of that. Before a young man leaves home, there are certain things he should know and certain skills at which he should be adept. We used to kick this around on watch and we covered a lot of ground. What should a young male of 21 know and what should he be able to do? There are no conclusive answers to those questions, but they are certainly worth asking. We agreed upon "civics" or what was called American government. A young man should know how this country is run and how it got that way. He should know the Federalist Papers and de Tocqueville, and he should know recent world history. If he does not know what has been tried in the past, he cannot very well avoid those pitfalls as they come up in the future.

Superficialities, of course, are rife. A young man should be computer literate, and moreover should know Hemingway from James Joyce. He should know how to drive a car well - such as is not covered in "Driver Ed." He should know how to fly a light airplane. He should know how to shoot well. He should know elementary geography, both worldwide and local. He should have a cursory knowledge of both zoology and botany. He should know the fundamentals of agriculture and corporate economy. He should be well qualified in armed combat, boxing, wrestling, judo, or the equivalent. He should know how to manage a motorcycle. He should be comfortable in at least one foreign language, and more if appropriate to his background. He should be familiar with remedial medicine.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JT]

Other than flying a light plane, I would say I have all of this covered. I don’t know if I can say I did by the age of 21, but probably by pretty close to that age.

[Betty]

I don't agree with the light airplane, second language shouldn't be a requirement although it can be handy, I don't think motorcycle operation is necessary unless you want to ride one (but I'll replace that one with learning to operate a stick shift), and I don't agree that a man has to be well qualified in some form of physical combat. Some guys just aren't cut out for it and others just aren't physically able, which is why some turn to guns.

I would like to add that a man should have basic knowledge of tools and their operation. I get disgusted at men who hold a jack and a tire iron and don't know what to do with them, or have no idea how to use a power drill. It doesn't mean the guy has to be able to build a boat or rewire his entire house - he just needs to have some basic tool competency.

I also think that a young man should know basic social etiquette, which is something severely lacking in a lot of youth these days.

[Euclidean]

Dang... I'm screwed.

[Camjr]

Unfortunately, most young men have mastered everything but the literary and civics components on the list before 21, but only on an X-Box.