• Kelly Aster 🏳️‍⚧️@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    1 month ago

    In the beginning, probably yeah. The Polynesians eventually became expert navigators, but they had to start somewhere. The Pacific Ocean is frickin massive, I can’t imagine being stranded out there with no way home.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      1 month ago

      Oh definitely horrifying, but I’m thinking about someone thousands of years ago who is stranded out at sea like this… and then they look up and they see that star overhead that they remember always points the same direction at this time of year, or they see some birds and decide to follow them. And an amazing age of exploration begins.

      • Kelly Aster 🏳️‍⚧️@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 month ago

        Ah, I see what you mean. Yeah, sometimes one little key observation can kickstart a new era. All without the aid of navigational instruments, too, which is wild to me.