Affordances
Affordances refer to the possibilities for action that an object, environment, or situation provides to a person or organism. The concept, introduced by psychologist James J. Gibson, emphasizes that the affordances of an object are not just properties of the object itself, but arise from the relationship between the object and the capabilities of the user.
I grew up as the Jake-of-all-trades. I was alone a lot and that allowed me to explore my world unencumbered by someone else. That freedom afforded me the ability to learn and try new things that I probably shouldn’t have done due to my age. At seven I was cooking dinner on the stove and operating power tools. I was known to disassemble and re-assemble everything. In second grade I would bring tools to school in my backpack and fix small things other kids brought me. No one told me that my behavior was unusual. I never knew anyone else just waited for someone else to fix their problems.
I was especially mesmerized by physics. It was the secret language of the universe. With proper measurements and planning, I could get objects to operate in a planned and reproducible fashion.
When I got older we got a family computer and again my world opened up and I had a new plane of existence to explore. There were boundaries, rules, methods, frameworks, etc. I could take control of computers locally and across the internet, with a set of data and commands, I could make something behave differently in a different place all connected by electricity. That passion paved the way to become a certified engineer.
So why am I talking about affordances?
I’ve been running into many people in our current culture that just sit there and complain or run their mouth instead of actually doing anything meaningful. I am honestly surprised when someone picks up reference materials like a medical journal, an RFC, or repair manual, and teach themselves how to something new. I have a special bond with anyone who does that out of desire or enjoyment and not obligation.
Have I always been lost in my head?
Yes. And no. I have no problem exploring, learning, testing, and practicing new things. I do feel alone often because I’m the only I know who almost daily pursues new knowledge. There’s a lot of times I need another “adult” like myself to pull the weight of the obligations of our existence. Too often my ability to figure something out leaves everyone thinking that I have some infinite resource of time, skill, focus, commitment, and energy.
Being half way through my life now, I know the next half is focused on teaching people about affordances and teaching them the meaning of doing things like testing, experimenting, measuring, and all things we learned in eight grade science classes.
Does this mean I’m good at everything?
No. Earlier I made a tongue-in-cheek reference to being a ”Jack of All Trades.” That reference implies a functional level of proficiency without implying a mastery. My uniqueness is the breadth of what I’ve learned or have done.
