I worry about the loss of getting completely lost. Isn’t it a rite of passage to get hopelessly lost at least once in your lifetime? Of course, I limit this discussion to urban environments where loss of life is an unlikely outcome, mostly just loss of face.
With the ubiquity of GPS devices on the market, and growing GPS services with handheld phones, I’m sure there will come a day when it’s literally impossible to get lost. But what are the implications of always having a device that constantly does your wayfinding for you?
I distinctly recall getting lost on a date in my teenage years, soon after I learned to drive. We meant to go to a local amusement park less than an hour away, and I thought I knew the way. Several hours later, and a few stops at local gas stations for directions, and we arrived. Will gas station attendants no longer need to give directions to the directionally challenged?
It’s a fact that certain people are more directionally challenged than others. The internal directional compass has been developed over the years through natural selection. If we no longer exercise these skills, will our innate ability to find our own way be lost?
Finding your way in unfamiliar territory is a trouble-shooting challenge without much parallel in terms of self reliance. It’s an empowering moment when you realize that you’re lost, and only you can get yourself out of the jam that you’re in. Without the ability to truly lose yourself, will we become softer and more dependent in other aspects of our lives?
Following a GPS-marked trail on a map makes you more map-centric than in tune with your surroundings. Following the straight, quick and easy path may get you where you want to go, but where’s the variety, adventure and interest in such journeys? Are we destined to explore less by following the displays and “all-business” voices of our personal navigators?
