Why didn't someone tell me that the options and settings on my account could be set to warn me if something went wrong? When I look at the options and settings, I don't understand what they all mean. It may take time and experience plus some luck to find out what happens when I set the choices this way or that.
I read the other day that there are problems associated with aging that are only beginning to be recognized now that more people are managing to live to higher ages. Some problems will attract researchers, investors and inventors but they haven't yet, at least not in large enough numbers to make a big difference. Rarity of medical conditions and situations are like some combinations of my account options in that they might never have a noticeable effect. I might be lucky enough to never need them.
It may seem a fairly simple thing to have the choices and options that are available explained. Yes, a good explainer could probably give me at least a hint as to what some settings will do, as well as a rough idea of how likely different situations are. However, this is a problem similar to the problem of learning to use a computer or a smartphone or a tablet like an iPad. The possibilities are immense. Some are relevant only to a specialized interest, say tinted photographs or rarely used emoticons. The probability of my using some of the specialized settings or options may be very low and therefore it will be difficult for me to pay much attention to an explanation of what they do.
If you want to get a feel for a jungle of options and the murkiness in there, try explaining to a high school student what his or her options are for an occupation. After a few attempts and preliminary pokes into a subject, a little imagining or actual job shadowing or apprenticing, the next attempt at considering the options may be quite different. Maturation, reflection and experience, direct or secondary, may change the understanding of what options there are, where different ones will lead and which settings are of interest.
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