The Importance of Slowness in Walking

To define walking, one would probably include putting one foot in front of the other, in a timely manner, but not as fast as a run. In short; walking is supposed to be slow, in my definition (except when you account for the Olympic sport, speed walking, which I personally like to call "slow running"). I can't help but to see myself in chapter five of "A Philosophy of Walking". Unfortunately I see myself as one of the boisterous kids that passed Gros and his walking mentor Mateo. To me, when personally hiking, I want to get to my destination as fast as possible. It's not so I could get the hike over with, but instead a personal excitement. When I hiked in the Appalachian Mountains this summer, it was all go. I very rarely simply slowed down and enjoyed the walking part, unless it was to catch my breath or to briefly enjoy the view before I took off again. I may not have wanted to go fast for time reasons, but to simply go. After it was all said and done, I realize now that when thinking back to my previous hikes or walks, I can rarely remember what I thought about, where I was, and what it looked like. It's a shame; but an interesting lesson. Sometimes we get caught up in our busy lives that we forget to just take it slow sometimes. I believe that's what half the philosophy of walking is--slowness.
I think we could all learn a lesson from this chapter. "The lesson was that in walking, the authentic sign of assurance is a good slowness".