A conversation with a recent high school grad

He graduated this past May.

Yesterday, he was telling me that he had driven to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis / St. Paul) all by himself for the first time, to attend a certain event. It was about an hour and a half drive from here.

Naturally, he used the GPS on his phone to get there. But while there, his phone battery died.

So he was proudly telling me how, when he left, he circled around for a while until he figured out what road to take, how he actually thought about things like "East" and "West", and that he was able to get all the way home without the aid of his phone.

I shook his hand and said, "Welcome to my generation!"

He laughed.

But then I asked him exactly where in the Twin Cities this event had been. He did not know!

After all, he had used his phone to get there. 😏

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WillaKissing · 56-60, M

I always tell the young people we had navigation devices called M.A.P. or MAP when I was their age, and they were in fallible not leading you into where you did not want to go like a GPS does.

MarineBob · 56-60, M

@WillaKissing i did a map reading class at REI just for free compass

WillaKissing · 56-60, M

@MarineBob My son went to Army basic training turning 18 while in Basic training in 2016. I tried like heck to get him educated on how to use even a road map before basic training and I showed him a compass and how to use it and he looked at me like I was a cave man.

Well post basic training guess what awesome task he learned Map reading and the use of a compass, and he told me he understood me better post basic training.

MarineBob · 56-60, M

@WillaKissing oldest grandson is in basic now, guess what? They use watch GPSs

WillaKissing · 56-60, M

@MarineBob Nothing beats a map. I guess you can lose a map, or you compass, but it all should be taught still

WillaKissing · 56-60, M

@MarineBob Say you're in combat and the enemy deploys an EMP device knocking out your electronics. Guess what the map and compass will still function.