Sean Dengler.

As I have been using my Apple Maps more often to guide me from location to location, this brings about sadness. While I have not fully given in to having Siri guide me along my trip, I often check the map to know what route is best or where to avoid traffic issues. Unfortunately, this gives up a skill.

One of the parts I love about Iowa is the two-lane highways. Unfortunately, when trying to find the best route to go from one place to next, Apple Maps loves to suggest the interstate or other four lane highways as the route to take. This method negates taking the road less traveled or the road which used to be more traveled before being bypassed by other roads.

What was once relied on as collective memory passed between people on how to get from one place to the next has transformed into checking an app to see how long it will take or if traffic is going to be in the way. The traffic experience might be more typical in larger cities but not entirely. For Mother’s Day, I made the trip back home to the farm. I never looked to see what the quickest route was back to the farm because I have driven this route for many years and a lot during my time farming.

As I rolled north on U.S. 63 out of Toledo to come across road close signs, technology would have paid off in this instance. Unfortunately, led astray by my past experiences, these small hiccups also made the trip worth it. Technology is meant to reduce the friction in the human experience. Technology makes life easier, but this friction can also help.

Avoiding conflict, frustration, and pain is not going to make for the best human experience. This is not to say go live the hardest and most miserable life, but when it comes to the frustration of not knowing U.S. 63 was closed, this can be an opportunity. This leads to a distinct experience like finding a different path home on a different two-lane highway, minus taking U.S. 30 to V-18.

Technology can make life great, but the tougher times exist for a reason. It builds character. Take the road less traveled, use slightly less technology, and view friction as not something to avoid but something to gain from. Being a human is not meant to be easy, but it is meant to be learned from through pain and failure. Not using Apple Maps and ending up at a road closed sign is not a problem, it is an opportunity.

Sean Dengler is a writer, comedian, now-retired beginning farmer, and host of the Pandaring Talk podcast who grew up on a farm between Traer and Dysart. You can reach him at sean.h.dengler@gmail.com.