Back in the day, London cabbies had to commit every street and landmark to memory in order to acquire their licence.
This was — and still is — known as The Knowledge.
And in case you're not from this wet part of the world…
There are 25,000 streets in London.
But that's what cabbies had to do to earn the prized badge of being a black cab driver.
Then the GPS waddled along.
Instead of spending years committing every road, closure, and junction to memory, you could now just punch in where your customer needed to go and let the satellite glide you around the city, bypassing all those wheezing traffic jams.
And like the One Ring, many cabbies couldn't resist this shiny piece of tech.
But here's what the studies say…
(And it's damning.)
While sure, it led to smoother, quicker journeys and fatter wedges in their pocket, they were quietly killing the most valuable asset a London cabbie — and anyone, for that matter — could have…
THEIR MEMORY.
Scientists have long shown that black cab drivers who learned The Knowledge the old-fashioned way grew their hippocampus (responsible for memory) to swelling proportions.
(Not to be confused with a hippopotamus, by the way.)
Those who leaned on the GPS, however, watched subtly at first, then quickly, this muscle atrophy and turn to mush.
Same thing happened with calculators.
Why agonise over a sheet of numbers when you could just… punch a few buttons?
Fast-forward to today, and is it little wonder nobody can do basic multiples without getting a migraine.
Such is the trade-off when we outsource our brainpower to computer power.
But all of this pales in comparison to what early studies are showing with the widespread use of AI. Illiteracy, depression, and the inability to think critically without consulting ChatGPT first are soaring.
And here's the punchline…
We're only three years into this AI world.
Imagine what that beautiful bit of matter between our ears will look like in scans a decade from now.
Mindless drones?
Maybe, maybe not.
But luckily, there's a remedy that's been around for centuries to combat this brain rot:
STORIES.
Yes, reading fiction has been PROVEN to boost brain connectivity, sharpen memory, and even lower the risk of cognitive decline in old age. When you think of it, stories are how we learned new words and remembered new things.
It's also how we discerned right from wrong, among many other useful lessons.
And it is entirely genre-agnostic.
Doesn't matter if it's a nursery rhyme, a blistering thriller, or, in my case, a fast-paced, action-packed epic fantasy series.
So yes, The Divided Region is an entertaining read or listen, but it might also go some way in preserving your noggin.
Here's where to go:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
Alternatively, if you'd prefer to start the series at your favourite retailer, go here:
https://books2read.com/dividedregionexiled
DJJW