By Roderick Kelly

On a recent trip to visit college campuses with our son, I had numerous conversations with people about where something was and how to get there.

To my surprise, most couldn't answer basic questions about their campus or direct us to where we needed to be. Some directed us to specifically-named buildings, which also was of no value to these campus novices.

"Just Google it" and "Use your phone" were two common refrains. But I didn't want my eyes glued to my phone., I wanted to take in the sights of the campus and hear the buzz of students as they shuffled from building to building.  

Then it dawned on me that young people have relied on technology to get them where they need to be. That's not in itself a bad thing. I get it and I love technology, but what's wrong with having a sense of direction?

At one point as I was driving around, I asked my son: "If the sun is setting on your left, what direction are you facing?" "Dad," he said, "Just look at the dashboard. It tells you what direction you're facing."

Argggh.