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Maps Hold A World of Memories

Why Physical Maps are Still Important

By MATTHEW FLICKPublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 3 min read
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Maps Hold A World of Memories
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

No one uses maps anymore. Sure, they use GPS on their phone or ask Alexa but, I’m talking about an old school paper map. One you picked up at a rundown gas station in the middle of nowhere. When you were completely lost and had no other option. Or one you found crumpled at the back of the glove compartment while cleaning out your car at the car wash.

Yes, a paper map is utilitarian. Its job is to get you from point A to point B. You use it and then throw it away, never thinking about it again. Like so many things in society, maps have become obsolete. They have become victims of technology. But, what if we were to take a closer look.

By Annie Spratt on Unsplash

What is a map? It’s made of paper. It’s folded like a piece of origami. Pieced together like a puzzle. Once you unfold it, you’ll never be able to correctly fold it again. The scent of ink and gasoline permeates the cheap paper. The first maps were scratched into clay tablets in ancient Babylon around 600 B.C. Paper maps were first drawn by the ancient Greeks. They’ve come a long way since then.

Maps can be art. A world map is a patchwork of colors representing land masses and people. Green America, Pink Italy or Vermillion Australia. Dabs of color like a Gaugin landscape. Crisscrossed with lines representing super highways, bridges and railroad tracks. Maps are reminiscent of a Mondrian abstraction. Antique maps are so beautiful that some people collect them and hang them on their walls.

By Aurelien Romain on Unsplash

Taken from a more philosophical point of view, a map can be an anatomical illustration of a town, state or country. The red or blue roadways on the map remind me of an old illustration of the human circulatory system. And in essence, that’s what it really represents. Roadways, like veins and arteries, are the lifeblood of a country. They carry much-needed fuel throughout the nation. Much like a vein carrying life-giving red blood cells throughout the body.

By Nicolasintravel on Unsplash

Maps offer so much more than just information. They contain stories. Spreading a dusty, yellowing map out in front of me, I recall the cross-country trip with my family when I was 8 years old. I chuckle, remembering when I got food poisoning in Utah or when our car broke down at the Hoover Dam. My parents bought my sister and I ice cream which melted faster than we could eat it in the Nevada summer heat. Or the time we got caught in an unexpected Spring blizzard driving through Yellowstone National Park.

Running my fingers across a world map, I recall the backpacking trip through Europe with my college roommate, Jimmy. Remembering his failed attempt to flirt with that woman in the busy Budapest cafe. It didn’t help that Jimmy didn’t speak a word of Hungarian. She couldn’t hear a word he said above the din of the clinking coffee cups, anyway. I still cannot figure out why so many Hungarians mistook me for a German tourist. Gazing at a city map of Vienna, I can’t help but think of that quiet morning in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. I recall the baeauty of the hand-carved altar. Dust motes danced in the rays of light coming through the stained-glass windows. These memories flood back all by glancing at lines drawn on a piece of paper.

By Dan Visan on Unsplash

In today’s world, maps are no longer necessary for navigation. But, I still think they serve a purpose. Maps become part of our personal story. Where we came from, where we are going next can be plotted on a map. So, don’t just toss them away at the end of a road trip. Keep them. They hold your memories, so hold on to them.

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If you liked this article, feel free to leave a tip or a heart. You can check out my other stories here

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About the Creator

MATTHEW FLICK

I am a disabled fiction and nonfiction writer currently living in New York. My writing is inspired by my life and the odd people in it. I'm passionate about pop culture, obscure trivia and great writing.

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