“I’m not lost, I’m just temporarily disoriented.” Bugs Bunny
JRR Tolkien famously proclaimed via Gandalf that not all who wander are lost. And as Bugs observed not all who appear to be lost are, they are just off path. Maybe they should have taken the left turn at Albuquerque.
The average American will follow the directions with total disregard to the actual situations. The days of Mapquest taking you down a one-way road the wrong way or Siri telling you to drive into the ocean are probably gone, but too many people follow the directions of “Authorities” that have not kept up with the changes in the landscape. Examples include:
- “Max out your 401k!”
- “Take out the student loans, you’ll get a good job to pay them off.”
- “Buy your first house as soon as you can.”
- “The customer is always right.”
- “Eggs are bad for you, too much cholesterol.”
- “EVs are better for the planet.”
Following bad directions will not make you lost, just take you off path. You’ll know where you are though once you pause and assess the situation, and then you can get back on track towards the destination with APPROPRIATE personalized guidance.
Admitting you are in the wrong place is the first step, then accepting that mistakes were made and being willing to change directions will get you where you wanted to go, albeit circuitously and maybe a little behind schedule.