Oh, it does, definitely. But it's more along the lines of being able to deal with increasingly large daily emergencies. Being able to forge steel would be an apocalypse-sized emergency.
As an ego-booster, I'm not so sure. Since everything is so connected, why gloat? As someone who has actually built a car from scrap metal and a loose engine, I feel that there isn't much difference between putting a pre-made part in a car yourself, or having someone else do it. Everything's a tinkertoy.
As an ego-booster, I'm not so sure. Since everything is so connected, why gloat? As someone who has actually built a car from scrap metal and a loose engine, I feel that there isn't much difference between putting a pre-made part in a car yourself, or having someone else do it. Everything's a tinkertoy.