H1
In this week’s reading of the
Philosophy of Walking, Gros talks about the need for a balance in urban walking
and walking in nature. I personally love walking in big cities. While it may
not seem like one could find peace in loud, busy, crowded areas, I have found
that these places allow me to escape inward thinking. We all have the tendency
to get so wrapped up in our own life (our plans, our problems, our goals, etc.)
that we forget to think about others and their lives. For me, urban walking
pulls the focus away from myself and allows me to put my life into perspective.
Take Manhattan (one of my favorite places),
for example. There are over a million residents on this relatively small
island. The city is filled with people from all professions, races, sexual
orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Every person is there for a different
reason, and an intricate series of events took place to lead them there. There
is also the historical aspect of cities that provide great insight into the
humans that existed before our time. I feel that stepping away from your own
life and recognizing these things is essential to philosophizing.
I do agree with Gros that there should
be a balance between urban walking and walking in nature. There are times when
we need just to be with ourselves and the natural world, in order to have the
mental clarity to philosophize. Walking in nature allows us to appreciate all
of the processes that go on around us and keep the world turning. It brings us
back to earth and provides a blank slate for us to philosophize from.
(H3) I agree that there is almost something magical when walking in a big city and it makes you feel as if you are very small part of the world. Walking in an urban area makes you feel as if there are endless possibilities.
ReplyDeleteI see what you mean about walking in an urban world, but i prefer my quiet, natural landscape.
ReplyDeleteUrban areas make me feel alive, and walking in them makes me feel a sense of comfort and ease (H3)
ReplyDeleteUrban areas make me feel alive, and walking in them makes me feel a sense of comfort and ease (H3)
ReplyDelete(H3) I agree with your point that walking in urban areas help us to escape inward thinking. Sometimes I forget that there is a whole world out there, and it helps to put my own problems in perspective.
ReplyDeleteI love to people watch- not to make fun of their natural quirks, but to try and imagine what someone's life is like. What is their story? Where were they born? How did they end up here? What difficulties (if any) are they facing? Are they married, single, divorced? And etc. In a place like Manhattan, it's easy to be captivated by the diversity.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that has been on my mind for a while and when you said Manhattan something clicked in my head. This is that were we where raised where we have been could all influence where we would prefer to philosophize take me for instance I was raised in Nashville which is a city but not nearly on the scale of Manhattan so perhaps these larger places excite me to the point where it makes me unable to philosophize in these given places.
ReplyDelete(H01) Though I'm not really a fan of peripatetic walking, walking in a big city has fascinated me since I was a child. I have lived in small towns my whole life and I can just remember my first time in a big city like Nashville. Watching all the people walking and going about doing different things fascinated me. I would wonder what lie ahead of them and what brought them here, how two people crossing the street may cross paths once more, and how so many people could come to be in such a small area. It was mind blowing to me and being mind blown I could think of nothing less than just lights and people. I think urban walking should be a bigger part of the walking lifestyle.
ReplyDelete