N
this thread reminded me of something we did in one of my college classes.
the professor told us, "everybody close your eyes. now.. point to wherever north is. open your eyes."
everybody was pointing to different directions. opposite directions. some towards the same direction. but the question was... who was right?
then, she pulled out a compass. she then pointed north because the compass pointed north.
she said, "you can believe all day long north is that way, but the truth is.. it is this way."
the professor told us, "everybody close your eyes. now.. point to wherever north is. open your eyes."
everybody was pointing to different directions. opposite directions. some towards the same direction. but the question was... who was right?
then, she pulled out a compass. she then pointed north because the compass pointed north.
she said, "you can believe all day long north is that way, but the truth is.. it is this way."
The only compass I owned at the time was specifically to be used on a table reading a map, which I didn't know when I bought it, so when I tried to use it in my hand it wasn't accurate. I was really struggling to find my flags. Another volunteer who had finished the course, loaned me his and I started again. It only took me 15 minutes to find all 6 of my flags using the right compass. I was so embarrassed by this rookie mistake, that I studied direction for months, so that now all I have to do is close my eyes and I can find North, and my teammates call me the human compass.....although they still tease me about that compass.
Often times we try to follow the wrong compass, by following what the "norm" is. If we keep our sights focused on "True North" we won't stray.