Having just learned that 200 nautical miles equals 230 miles, I wondered how we got a different measure for nautical use.

Why is there a difference between statute miles and nautical miles? Please click for theanswer.

Just to add to the confusion, aircraft in the USA have long used knots as their speed measure instead of miles per hour. The more civilized countries use the metric system, of course.

And to confuse it further, the nautical mile and the knot are part of the metric system. The nautical mile is defined as 1852 m and the knot can't be expressed in a finite decimal as it's exactly (1852/3600) m/s.

Well, all that matters to me is that whomever is driving/piloting/maneuvering the vehicle knows how to get me where I'm going. Let them calculate the distance however they like. Just tell me how long it will take and how much it will cost.

I think you're right to a degree. In the modern world at least, no matter what the distance, it's too far and no matter how fast you travel, it's too slow. Perhaps life would be better if we abandoned such measurments all together and were happy to get there when we arrived and appreciate the journey.