Falsepath
Alternative to being misdirected, or sent on a long worthless pathway with little or no reward at the end.
"I became a born-again and was a tattooed Christian for 20 years before I realized I was falsepathed. Now I'm on a truepath, I think."
"A huge number of people in History were falsepathed by their elders, parents and conquerors."
"A huge number of people in History were falsepathed by their elders, parents and conquerors."