Why don't men ask for directions?

I love driving, I seriously do! I learned as soon as I could get a driver’s license and find the experience delightful. Being a woman, I discovered very early that no matter how well I drive, I shall still be eyed with suspicion by the males of my species who somehow feel that women make bad drivers. I don’t care about that but I do know one thing about the men behind wheels- they can’t ask for directions.

I discovered this after my marriage when I realised that the reason we kept getting lost in every new city we went to, was not that my husband was lost in my thoughts but because he just did not ask for directions.

‘I know.’

‘I got it all figured out.’

‘Don’t worry, it is just around the corner.’

‘My sense of direction is amazing. Just wait.’

‘Oh! I will ask for directions at the next lights.’

These are the replies I got when I subtly suggested that it was better to ask the way rather than circling the same route over and over again.

It took a number of repetitive circles and at times wandering into the wilderness before my Mr.Right admitted that he had indeed taken a wrong turn and we were lost. That is when the male ego shall bend enough to ask a passer-by for directions.

I found it pretty amusing. I tried asking my husband the reason, to which he feigned complete ignorance.

‘I do ask for directions.’

‘I was about to. The light turned green.’

‘That guy didn’t look like he knew. No point asking.’

I do not know why men feel that they have an inbuilt navigation system inside them and they are bestowed with an instinct to know the right way. Maybe it has something to do with the want for a sense of power. The joy of discovery is way better than knowing the way.

Then came GPS navigation system for cars and believe me, it was a big sigh of relief. You get the right directions without having to ask for them. The perfect solution to the husband-wife disagreement. Happy ending, you say? Not so quickly.

You see, we still have roads in our country that exist on maps and not on the ground. What do you do when the melodious and accented voice of the GPS lady tells you to take a left and you see nothing there except a mud track while a perfectly clear, wide road is visible straight ahead? Not listening to the GPS leaves you at the risk of losing way again and following its instructions may lead you to the centre of a field or puddle. A rational thing would be to ask but hey, that is not an option, right?

Men will be men. I gave up trying to rationalise the act of asking for directions and started enjoying my drive instead.

It can actually be fun to wander lost when you have a wonderful companion and you never know what might come your way. That is what serendipity is all about!!

I do agree that this quote might actually hold true for quite a lot: