You’re not even trying.

At my house ranch dressing is king.  It seems we can't eat a meal without it.  It's such a crucial item that we always have a bottle of ranch in the refrigerator and an "on deck" bottle in the pantry.  Running out of Hidden Valley Ranch is an absolute sin in the Cockrell household, so we try to guard it well.

Last night after we'd finished dinner I asked my five-year-old daughter Amelia to put the ranch away.

"I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"I don't know where it goes."

"It goes in the door, next to the milk."

"I can't."

"You can't what?"

"I can't reach it."

"Have you tried?"

With a heavy sigh she got up from the table, grabbed the ranch and headed off into the kitchen.  Five seconds later- not nearly enough time for her to even reach the fridge, let alone open it and try to put the bottle away…

"I can't reach it."

"Ok, get your little step and use that."

"I don't want to."

Several minutes later my wife walks through the kitchen and asks why the ranch is sitting out on the counter and I replied, "Because Amelia didn't want to." 

This sort of behavior is understandable, even expected of a kindergartner.  It is, however, unacceptable and my wife and I are working consistently to overcome it.  What strikes me, though, is how often this exact mentality is accepted in adults.

"I need this document posted on the Web site."

"Ok, just log into the system, create an article and upload it.  Remember, we covered this in training and you've done it before."

"I can't."

"Is there something wrong?  Are you unable to log in?"

"I just don't have the time to mess with it."

That's the forty-five-year-old equivalent of, "I don't want to."

….

"You know, I've never really understood the whole plumbing thing.  All those pipes and connections confuse me.  I don't really want to learn how to use the toilet.  I'll just stick to crapping in my pants."

Would that be acceptable?  Would a sixty-year-old CEO simply expect his secretary to change his diaper and wipe his butt for him a couple of times a day in the interest of not having time to learn to use the toilet?

Why then do we accept school superintendents who don't know how to check their email?

Basic computer skills are essential to modern life, and many, many people don't even try.

They use excuses like "Those computers are just too confusing." or "I don't have time to mess with that computer stuff.  I have work do to."

No one has to know anything about plumbing to use a sink or a toilet.  They're very simple interfaces to very a complex system.  You turn the one that says "Hot" and hot water comes out.  You turn the one that says "Cold" and cold water comes out.  Yes, the underlying systems that allow the action to take place are incredibly complex.  Professionals in the plumbing field are very highly paid and with good reason- they have knowledge that most of us don't, but even young children learn to wash their hands because the interface to the complex system is very simple.

Modern computer software is no different.  Yes, the widgets and whatsits that make Web sites possible are very complex, but modern Content Management Systems provide an interface to it that any child can use.  In fact, many, many people enlist the help of their children when using technology.  It's not that the kids are smarter, or really even know more about computers.  They're just willing to try.

Stop blaming the plumbing for your diaper rash.

You're not even trying.