Insightful essay and as usual the work is crowned by the footnotes. A few dovetails:
1. Semi-recently a bevy of "be more productive"/econ writers like Amos Tversky and Kahneman have been immense advocates for the creative ideas generated by walking. However, don't let the sacredness and ceremony of walking be corrupted by entering the task with the "goal" of solving your thesis, or some other problem at hand. It will destroy the moment, and make it bland and stale. Go for a walk for the "being" or the "gap" as you correctly intuit Thomas.
2. To really "feel" the gap and for walking to be a distinct and wonderful realm, you have to learn to be comfortable, not antsy, with just hearing your own thoughts for more than 45 seconds. No ear buds, No wristwatch/smart watch. Just you and your thoughts. For people less than 45, you will look for stimulus...something, anything other than that odd voice, your voice....after a few minutes, but persevere. Ironically, the work is really in doing nothing. As I so often paraphrase Sherry Turkle, " If you never learn to be alone, then you will always be alone." Walking is a prime way to authentically learn to be alone, and I mean a pre-Internet form of authentic, not the watered down current version used to attact and dilate pupils.
Keep walking properly Thomas and thanks for resurrecting this activity. Amble on!
Thank you for this. For the last few years I've been dealing with somewhat limited mobility -- first it was my hip that was borked, and then my knee, and then I got a hip replacement, and now I'm waiting for a replacement of the bad knee. All of which has severely impacted the joy I used to take in simply wandering my city (London). It's been hugely depressing, and even though I know it is temporary (I WILL be back to my old self in the not-too-distant future), I am profoundly missing the very joys you have described here. I will never take it for granted again.
I think it is suffering from mobility issues like that which really makes one take stock. I know that has been the case for me. Hope your knee gets sorted soon and that you can hit the streets of London again. I used to love going for epic city walks when I lived there.
Great essay. Never let it be said that Thomas J. Bevan doesn't "get it."
This is the only thing I have ever wanted people to conclude!
Insightful essay and as usual the work is crowned by the footnotes. A few dovetails:
1. Semi-recently a bevy of "be more productive"/econ writers like Amos Tversky and Kahneman have been immense advocates for the creative ideas generated by walking. However, don't let the sacredness and ceremony of walking be corrupted by entering the task with the "goal" of solving your thesis, or some other problem at hand. It will destroy the moment, and make it bland and stale. Go for a walk for the "being" or the "gap" as you correctly intuit Thomas.
2. To really "feel" the gap and for walking to be a distinct and wonderful realm, you have to learn to be comfortable, not antsy, with just hearing your own thoughts for more than 45 seconds. No ear buds, No wristwatch/smart watch. Just you and your thoughts. For people less than 45, you will look for stimulus...something, anything other than that odd voice, your voice....after a few minutes, but persevere. Ironically, the work is really in doing nothing. As I so often paraphrase Sherry Turkle, " If you never learn to be alone, then you will always be alone." Walking is a prime way to authentically learn to be alone, and I mean a pre-Internet form of authentic, not the watered down current version used to attact and dilate pupils.
Keep walking properly Thomas and thanks for resurrecting this activity. Amble on!
Worth! How are you, my friend. Good to hear from you. Your comments hit the nail on the head as always. Hope others find them as valuable as I do.
Cheers.
Beautifully written, Tom. Thank you.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Nice to hear from you.
as someone guilty of instrumentalising my walks i really needed to read ths. thanks mate
My pleasure Oleg, glad you enjoyed it. And yes, instrumentalising a walk is easily done. I say that from experience of course.
Thank you for this. For the last few years I've been dealing with somewhat limited mobility -- first it was my hip that was borked, and then my knee, and then I got a hip replacement, and now I'm waiting for a replacement of the bad knee. All of which has severely impacted the joy I used to take in simply wandering my city (London). It's been hugely depressing, and even though I know it is temporary (I WILL be back to my old self in the not-too-distant future), I am profoundly missing the very joys you have described here. I will never take it for granted again.
I think it is suffering from mobility issues like that which really makes one take stock. I know that has been the case for me. Hope your knee gets sorted soon and that you can hit the streets of London again. I used to love going for epic city walks when I lived there.
Thank you! London is definitely an epic city for walking. Can't wait to be a flaneuse again.