When the map becomes more dangerous than the territory

The rock felt loose under my fingers. With my daughter strapped to my back, every step along this Goa cliff face felt increasingly wrong. But the travel book had been so confident about this route. According to the guide, we should follow this exact path to reach an incredible viewpoint with excellent food options on the other side.

We had trusted that book completely. It was published by a major travel company, filled with detailed descriptions and clear directions. When we reached Baga, we followed its instructions precisely: cross to the opposite side of the small river, then follow the cliffside path upward. The book knew what it was talking about, right?

Except with each step, reality told a different story. The path felt unstable. The handholds seemed unreliable. The route that looked manageable on paper felt treacherous in person. Still, we kept going. The book said this was the way.

Until I reached that moment. One more step forward, and I genuinely believed my daughter and I might slip and fall into the water below. We turned around and retraced our steps to safety.

That book probably contained accurate information when it was written. But trails erode. Weather changes landscapes. Development alters access points. Rivers carve new paths. The book couldn’t update itself to reflect these realities, yet there we were, following instructions that no longer matched the terrain.

This happens everywhere. Medical practices persist decades after research proves them ineffective. Business strategies continue long after market conditions make them obsolete. Academic theories get repeated in textbooks years after new evidence contradicts them. We trust the source more than we trust our own direct experience of current conditions.

Every step felt wrong, but we kept going because the book seemed so certain. Physical danger made the stakes obvious, but usually the costs of following outdated information are subtler and take longer to reveal themselves.

Organizations cling to strategies that worked in previous decades. Investors follow conventional wisdom that no longer applies. People make career decisions based on advice from different economic realities. The guidance retains its authority even when circumstances have fundamentally changed.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is turn around before the map leads you over a cliff.