Getting Lost as a Kid
When I was eight or nine years old, I was in scouts and trying to figure out how to cross the gap with a paper map. No matter how many times I turned it around, the symbols never quite made sense to me. The map always seemed to fold the wrong way. The compass didn’t help much either; its little red needle spun and pointed in ways that didn’t make sense. I didn’t get why north was so important or why the compass didn’t just point me in the right direction when I was that age.
Those first times I tried to navigate were very humbling. They taught me how to be patient (though not always in a nice way) and made me appreciate how hard it is to find your way in the world. For years, I couldn’t figure out how to use maps and compasses. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I finally got it. But by that time, the world of navigation had already started to change.
Wandering the World from My Screen
At the same time, I got my first cell phone. It wasn’t anything special by today’s standards, but it did have one feature that felt almost magical: Google Maps. At that time, Google Maps was still new. The interface was hard to use, some streets were missing, and it made mistakes a lot. But for me, it was a big deal. I could now type in a destination and see a little blue dot move me in real time. I didn’t have to worry about folding paper maps or wondering if I had the compass pointing the right way. I could just walk and trust that the screen in my hand would show me the way.
Downside of Google Maps
But I still think that all this ease has a downside. A lot of teens today don’t even know how to use a paper map or compass because Google Maps is so easy to use. It might sound old-fashioned or even boring, but what if the signal goes out or the phone battery dies? Knowing the basics of navigation can still help a lot. I feel thankful that I learned those things when I was a kid. It makes me feel a little more down to earth, in the best way possible.
Finding My Way Today
Even now, I sometimes look through Google Maps just to see what’s there. I’ll put a pin in a random country, switch to Street View, and walk through neighborhoods that I might never get to see in person. It grounds me because it reminds me how big and connected our world is, and it inspires me because it makes me want to travel, learn, and see new places outside of the computer screen.
I still have a soft spot for paper maps, but Google Maps opened up something much bigger: the ability to dream and plan, to see what’s out there, and to picture myself moving through it. It isn’t just an app for me. It reminds me that the world is always close by and ready to be explored, sometimes with my feet and sometimes with just a swipe of my finger.
Very interesting! And do agree very much! I love being able to get around so easily even in a new city or country where I have never been before. But it’s also another thing I need my phone for. This can be especially frustrating if the phone is almost out of battery. I wish I wasn’t dependent on google maps to guide me around. Though I do know how to use a paper map, I must admit that I don’t currently own one. But I do try in other ways not to be too dependent on maps and I am trying to be a little more observant in my surroundings.
The first part of your scout experience made me chuckle as it reminds me of the times when I had to help my dad navigate with a paper map while we were on vacation and had to try and pronounce French/Italian street names and just not figuring out the map on time before he had to take a turn in traffic. The rest of my childhood wasn’t very different as I suck at understanding maps; and completely understand how nice it is when Google Maps shows you where to go, and even tells you how long it will take to reach the destination so you don’t have to worry about what time you have to leave at all.
I do however agree that using a paper map is a useful skill, but I don’t think that they will ever make a return for future generations as it is much easier to use a phone and Google Maps.