I recently took a trip that involved a long drive, and
during my travels I had an opportunity to employ a GPS (“Global Positioning
System”) – you know, one of those devices that uses satellites to track your
position and, charting your location on maps with which it is programmed, tells
you audibly which way to turn (“In .2 miles, prepare to turn right on Oak
Street…Turn Right on Oak Street…Continue 5 miles….”).
During this trip, I learned that a GPS is a remarkably
useful device for navigating unfamiliar terrain. However, I also learned
firsthand something that I already knew from simply being alive in this
culture, something most drivers have known for years now: GPS devices can be
unreliable in many situations.
Invariably, there will be places where the road is
different than the map programmed into the GPS: either they’ve built a new road
or there’s construction going on or there’s a traffic jam that just makes you
want to go straight instead of turning (or vice versa), etc.. In those cases,
you have to ignore the directions the GPS is telling you, make the moves that
the situation demands, and let the device recalculate the route – unless, of
course, you want to drive into an unpleasant situation.
I’m reminded of the mildly amusing scene from the
American version of the sitcom The Office
in which Michael Scott blindly obeys his GPS and turns right…into a
lake…because “The machine knows!” (Link here. Sorry for the poor video quality:
it’s all I could find)
There’s a lesson in all of this: the GPS is useful, but
it sure as hell doesn’t beat paying attention to the road.
If it’s not obvious where I’m going with this, I’ll note
that driving a car is one of my favorite metaphors for carrying out the True
Will: navigating through life and trying to stay on one’s path even when
passing through unfamiliar territory. As with driving a car, one is aided in
carrying out the True Will by paying attention to reality (keeping one’s eyes
on the road). Now, glancing away from the road for a moment or two, of course,
usually causes no problems. But the longer one keeps one’s eyes and attention
focused on something else, the greater the chances of catastrophe.
And as with driving, there are tools that can help assist
with the accomplishment of one’s True Will. Chief among these tools is the
conscious mind. However, like a GPS, the conscious mind can easily lead one
astray if one blindly follows the call of the “machine”
Read on for more details.
