Observation meaning: How observation is the greatest skill that you can master in the 21st century!
We humans live in a hierarchy based social structure. In such a complex social structure, survival demands different sets of skills. Even in the time of hunter gatherers, the skills of our ancestors helped us to survive many difficulties, like being safe from the predators or gathering food for meals. This ongoing century has seen many revolutions so far, be it at the technological front or at the political space. Many more revolutions are on the way. Of Course the skills needed to survive in the 21st century are way different than those required during the time of the cognitive revolution. Some of the human skills often get ignored because of not being fancy enough to us. Observation is such a skill which is very much underrated as of now.
It all depends on how you define ‘skill’. Majority of humans will not be on the side of considering observation as a life skill. They are not completely wrong though. Observation seems somewhat more as a natural human behaviour than a skill that can be acquired by practising. But, the fact is it's a basic skill which is going to be a must required to survive in the coming years. Still confused? Don't worry. Stay with us. Your concept will be crystal clear once you complete reading this article.
Observation meaning:
As per dictionary definition, observation is the process of monitoring something or someone. The word ‘observation’ synonyms with monitoring, watching.
What is a skill? How to define skill?
A skill is a human capability to do some particular tasks. It's the ability to do something. A person having expertise on some particular task is said to be skilled at that task.
Observation is the greatest life skill that you can master in the 21 st century:
1. Knowledge:
Knowledge is power. Human society is a hierarchy based structure. You can move upwards the hierarchy pyramid only with competency. Competency is a result of knowledge. The more knowledgeable you are, the more you will be competent. Books have been a great source of knowledge. Knowledge is everywhere. From the people roaming on the streets to the animals in the jungle, everyone has something to learn from. Here comes the role of observation. Observation is going to be the utmost skill necessary for knowledge earning in coming years.
2. Survival:
What did drive humans through evolution and all the revolutions we have come across so far? It's the basic human reaction to survive. You can name any revolution, be it cognitive, agricultural, industrial or scientific. Survival is the driving factor behind all of these. Our ancestors were very good observers. All the knowledge they got, all the skills they learned and all the upliftments they had were basically the results of great observation skills. Whether it's about learning from the surroundings or forming a human society, observation was used to be the sole source of information gathering, knowledge sharing and socialising.
Why is observation necessary?
Forget hunter gatherers. Let's talk about the present human societies. Besides survival, being great at observation can be helpful for present humans too to achieve big, accomplish their goals and excel in life. The coming future is going to be very much challenging for the job sector. AIs will overpower most of the present lucrative jobs. Those who won't be able to cope up with the changes will have to struggle a lot. Learning new skills, new courses and exploring new domains are surely the need of the hour. You can learn a lot by just observing and analysing. The Internet is a blessing for us. Nothing is beyond our limit.
Conclusion:
Observation is a great skill. We may never have accepted it as a basic skill of ours. But, by knowingly or unknowingly, we all humans are equipped with this skill. Ofcourse, some are more skilled and some are less. Whether you are a student, a job goer or an entrepreneur, the skill of observing can be a great help in your progress. Be it at learning new things, being safe from the office politics or signing a new deal, being great at observation can safe you in difficult times and reward you for your work.