The "everyone should learn very basic sewing" post had me thinking, which means making my own post to not derail that one.
I've been thinking about this concept from another direction for a while now. I'm white and live in southern Canada, which means I'm steeped in the hyper-individualistic culture of the cultural west. I don't like it, but there are aspects I agree with?
And the sewing post clarified it to me a little.
Getting help is capital-g-Good! Humans have succeeded as much as we have because we work together, we specialise across skillsets so that we don't all have to be great at everything. Hyper individualization isn't healthy or useful to society.
However!
It serves everyone to know how to keep their lives stable enough.
I think everyone who is physically and mentally able should learn all manner of "hold over" skills.
I think everyone should learn how to do all the most basic forms of maintenance (of their body and belongings). Just enough that they can "hold over" until someone who knows more can be brought in to help.
It serves everyone to know the basics of nutrition and cooking- even if it's just "I can make a sandwich with a variety of ingredients so I don't become malnourished". I don't think everyone needs to know how to make a family dinner, or a holiday feast. Just enough to "hold you over" until you can eat better food.
It serves everyone to know how to do emergency sewing. Just enough to tack a button back on so it doesn't get lost, hold a tear together so it doesn't get worse, tack down a patch. Nothing major, doesn't have to be pretty. But enough to "hold you over" until you can ask for help.
Cleaning, laundry, navigation, household repair, transportation maintenance, basic technology troubleshooting... Anything you interact with regularly you should be able to maintain enough to hold you over.
And, in conjunction with that, it serves everyone to be open with the skills you do have more knowledge in. If you know a skill, offer to the people in your life come to you for help. If you don't know a skill, ask the people you know for help. Work together! That's the power of humanity, and it is beautiful.
