Pocket Compass - article by Whimsical Wire Articles

I got my first pocket compass out of a quarter vending machine when I was about eight years old. It was a pocket watch style compass, and although it was made out of plastic, it looked a lot better than it actually was. It had some neat designs on it, a folding top, and a picture of an imaginary map. It was the perfect thing to impress an eight-year-old. It did not, however, work in the slightest. All it would tell you was the location of the nearest piece of metal. The North Pole never even entered into it.

Nonetheless, that pocket compass was the source of endless fascination. None of my other friends had pocket compasses, so it made me somewhat of a celebrity around the neighborhood. When we played explores, I was always the one who would find our way out of whatever trap we had wandered into. We would be lost it inside a cave in the heart of Africa, or perhaps in a frozen forest in northern Europe. That pocket compass, combined with the imaginary map that we would create as we went along, was all that we had to get us out of the most terrible danger.

My dad, however, was a practical man. He didn't exactly frown on our games of make believe, but he felt that they should serve a purpose. As soon as he saw what I was up to, he got me a real pocket compass. This was no toy – it was a serious military style compass. Nowadays, with global positioning systems and Google maps, kids don't develop the same passion for orienteering. Back then, however, a good pocket compass was one of the best gadgets that you could buy. If you knew what you were doing and had a good map, you could use it to find your way out of anywhere. Although the real chances of me or any of my friends getting lost in the wilderness were extremely remote, it was definitely reassuring to know that if it did happen, I would still be safe.

Looking back, I have begun to wonder whether or not I should get my own child a pocket compass. He is living in a much different time than I was. Technologies that were unthinkable when I was growing up are now commonplace – almost boring. Nonetheless, I think it is important to preserve basic survival skills. One day our technology will fail. When that happens, it will be good to have a compass.

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