11 votes

If you could only pick one of these skills and be forced to lose the other two, which would you pick: knowing how to drive a car, knowing how to swim, or knowing how to ride a bicycle?

Credit for this intriguing conundrum goes to this week's Slate Political Gabfest.

9 comments

  1. [4]
    SleepyGary
    Link
    How to swim. The other two aren't likely to be necessary to save my life. I work from home and live near mass transit. I predict that in a couple decades knowing how to drive will be largely...

    How to swim. The other two aren't likely to be necessary to save my life. I work from home and live near mass transit. I predict that in a couple decades knowing how to drive will be largely recreational knowledge anyways. Not knowing how to ride a bicycle would suck but there are always unicycles and tricycles.

    15 votes
    1. [3]
      EscReality
      Link Parent
      See, I live in a landlocked state so I initially was going to go with driving (because I love to drive) but I think you are right. There are other modes of transportation, swimming is a necessary...

      See, I live in a landlocked state so I initially was going to go with driving (because I love to drive) but I think you are right.

      There are other modes of transportation, swimming is a necessary survival skill.

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        SleepyGary
        Link Parent
        I'm also in a landlocked province, but I also live a block away from a river that I love floating down and the river kills at least one person per year.

        I'm also in a landlocked province, but I also live a block away from a river that I love floating down and the river kills at least one person per year.

        1. EscReality
          Link Parent
          I am an avid rafter, so I have the same predicament.

          I am an avid rafter, so I have the same predicament.

  2. MimicSquid
    Link
    Joke's on you: I already can't drive and hate swimming.

    Joke's on you: I already can't drive and hate swimming.

    5 votes
  3. knocklessmonster
    Link
    Swim. I can use ridesharing, kick scooters, public transit, or bum rides from friends which covers my needs for driving and bicycles, but swimming may just save my life the one time I need it.

    Swim. I can use ridesharing, kick scooters, public transit, or bum rides from friends which covers my needs for driving and bicycles, but swimming may just save my life the one time I need it.

    3 votes
  4. vakieh
    Link
    It would definitely depend on my ability to relearn. If I could, then lose driving in a second. If I couldn't, then with some hesitancy I would pick losing swimming. Because the risk of drowning...

    It would definitely depend on my ability to relearn. If I could, then lose driving in a second. If I couldn't, then with some hesitancy I would pick losing swimming. Because the risk of drowning if you never deliberately go swimming is seriously, SERIOUSLY low in the developed world, to the point of irrelevance.

    Why is the bike thing even in there?

    2 votes
  5. Valensiakol
    Link
    Driving. I love swimming and biking but they aren't necessary to my livelihood, and I don't believe swimming is nearly as important for survival as some people are making it out to be. If you know...

    Driving. I love swimming and biking but they aren't necessary to my livelihood, and I don't believe swimming is nearly as important for survival as some people are making it out to be. If you know you can't swim, keep clear of large bodies of water, not that hard.

    Unless we're talking theoretical doomsday scenarios here, where swimming and biking would be more useful than driving, driving is simply the most logical choice in the modern world, unless you live in a dense city where biking might be more useful than driving.

    If you really want to be in or on the water, there are tons of flotation devices you can wear to avoid drowning just fine, no swimming skills required.

    1 vote
  6. Zeph
    Link
    I only know one of them so I think I'm done.

    I only know one of them so I think I'm done.