Fundamental Flaws
The english language seems to be lacking a word. In this gap, some improperly use another word, leading to confusion and conflict. Let me be more specific. The word ‘lost’ means:1) not knowing where you are AND
2) not being where you want to be AND
3) not knowing how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
When #1 is not met, you clearly aren’t lost, but there doesn’t appear to be a proper word to describe this situation.
Perhaps an example will further this discussion.
Picture a family where the loving father wants to show his children an historic site, such as a civil war fort in, say Glasgow, Kentucky. The rather vague description (found only in one of the three sources of tourist info on board) fails to point out that not only can’t you get to this place, but once you do find the entrance, if you are driving anything larger than a Yugo it would be best to just point at the sign, salute the flag and stay on the 31E Bypass.
This clearly isn’t ‘lost’, since we DO know where we are (#1 not met), and even though we aren’t where we now wish to be – heading east on the Edward B. Nunn Parkway (#2 met)– getting there (#3) is only a problem to be solved.
Let us further our illustration by pointing out that she who was navigating did find what appeared to be an adequate path from here to there, but failed to notice that the faint gray line that represents Route 63, even though it crosses the big green line that represents our desired parkway, didn’t cross with a little circle that represents an interchange. Now at this point, #2 is met – we aren’t where we want to be – but #1 is still not met. We know EXACTLY where we are. We are also starting to get close to meeting #3 (not knowing how to get from here to there), but this is a matter of degree… the faint gray line of Route 63 goes on a long way without crossing anything that might get us closer to that desired big green line. But this is just an obstacle to be overcome. A long term obstacle.
A shorter term obstacle is how to turn this house on wheels around.
Another problem with the english language is how to clearly show on a road sign the difference between a ‘Golf Course’ which implies a rather large parking lot (in which one could perhaps turn a 32 foot motor home) and a ‘Golf Course’ which is ACTUALLY one of those residential developments where the little roads meant for golf carts meander all through the place without even a cul-de-sac!
Why, in a situation like this, would one respond to a general question from the kids like, ‘What are we doing?’ with an incorrect answer like, ‘We’re lost’? And with such exasperation in her voice? Was it perhaps anguish at the thought of seeing downtown Glasgow, Kentucky for the fourth time? Of course not, since it is such a lovely little town (even though the streets are a tad narrow and they hang their telephone lines a little too low for my taste). I believe her voice expressed her embarrassment at the role she played in getting us to meet elements #2 and #3. But see, #1 was never met. We knew where we were. You aren’t lost if you know where you are.
There is a wonderful local woman who brings her kids sightseeing to the golf course. (She probably says, ‘See, Babies, most golf courses have large parking lots and this one doesn’t even have wide spots in these skinny little roads’.) She, and perhaps many of the locals, haven’t taken to the name change of the Parkway. It apparently used to be called ‘Cumberland Parkway’ and ‘Edward B. Nunn Parkway’ just hasn’t caught on. Again, how do you convey this type of information next to the big green line on the map? She generously offered to guide us to our goal (less use of the english language that way).
There probably is a good word for this situation. Unfortunately, we have overused the descriptive term ‘Opportunity’. Well, we’ll just keep searching – for the right words, that is. We know where we are, so, by definition, we’re not lost.