What’s been plagueing me
Disclaimer: This may or may not be entirely coherent.
Some of the topics I’ve been thinking about over the past several months.
I’ve been reading a lot of stuff on the web (and a few books) that relates to ‘dropping out’, ‘living simply’ and so on. Some of it - generally the stuff that resonates most strongly with me - is written by or about Christians; much of it is by people of various other religious persuasions - Atheists, agnostics, new-age hippies, Jews, Rastas, Buddhists etc. The general themes I’ve been thinking about are:
- The basic, fundamental purpose of life. What’s it for? What’s the point?
- Civilization/culture/technology; how do these things help and harm people?
- Justice. How should people treat each other? What does this mean for me?
- God. What’s he/she/it actually like? What does God expect of us?
- Christianity. What should it look like?
I do want people to read this, so I won’t bore you with the complete details of what thought processes I’ve gone through. And I harbour a small and feeble hope that this post might generate discussion, so I won’t give away any of my hypotheses or conclusions just yet.
I will, however, give an example of one way in which thinking about these questions, and about their interconnection, has caused me to change how I live:
I’ve started going barefoot more often than not. From an outside perspective, I guess this is quite meaningless. Its significance to me, though, is that it is a simple way in which I can identify with the disadvantaged (a practice employed by many thinkers-and-doers whom I admire); it’s also a lot more comfortable than wearing shoes in many circumstances and thus, I suspect, better for my health. And it allows me to feel more a creature of the earth (in rejection of the modern apocalyptic, escapist mindset that is emblematic of the kind of Christianity I grew up with).
So, any thoughts (he said hopefully)?
Posted in News and such
December 11th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
Wanna go barefoot hiking?
December 12th, 2006 at 12:18 am
Really not sure about barefoot being better for your health, unless prehaps your spending all your time walking on grass planes miles away from civilisation.
Barefeet inside is fun, outside in an urban environment it’s rather risky, you need to have your tetanus boosters up to date. Or you need to pay excesive care to how and what your walking on.
I personally prefer good leather Sandels, seeing they’re a decent compramise between barefoot and a degree of safety. Not that I own any at the moment seeing working in a lab means you wear shoes and socks when every your even thinking about doing somework.
With regards to civilisation overall I guess it’s better for us than the alternative, considering our current level of technology.
As for technology I’d also consider it to be good though like most forms of knowledge there are significant risks associated with it. After all it lets us do more stuff, study and gain a greater understanding of things and so forth.
After all if you lived like the averge person say 600+ years back it’s unlikely your’d have much time to ever consider such a question, and likely your level of education would be such that you could not consider or come up with such a question.
December 12th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Sounds like Nathan’s and my bibliographies have crossed over at some point. The writings which inspired me to try going barefoot were:
The Barefoot Hiker,
RunningBarefootWiki, and
The Barefoot Path in the Western Contemplative Tradition
Oh, and of course, the Wikipedia page.
Chad - my tetanus shots are up-to-date. I try to walk on grass or dirt when possible, as sealed surfaces are quite abrasive and can get uncomfortable to walk on. I’ve developed the ability to keep an eye out for broken glass and other hazards, and so far I’ve had no problems (and the pain I used to get from wearing shoes has disappeared). I wouldn’t say going barefoot in an urban environment requires ‘excessive care’ - just more care than most people are used to exercising.
December 12th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
So how do you deal with the whole having-to-avoid-glass-and-crap thing? Do you see it as the burden of going barefoot in a fallen world? Does it make you more aware of the disrespect we have for our land? Or is it just a pain in the foot?
December 12th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
matt, i would suggest that avoiding crap is a good idea enshoed or otherwise.
December 12th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Seriously though, want to go for a barefoot hike sometime? We could like go to banks penisula, and go on an actual walk…
(Going barefoot wouldn’t have to be compulsary.)
December 12th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Yeah, that would be a grand idea. When were you thinking?
Matt - It’s a hassle, but I’m prepared to put up with it. Did you notice many people in Mumbai getting around without shoes (I imagine it would be a lot more hazardous over there)?
December 13th, 2006 at 6:41 am
Well, bearing in mind it was the middle of winter when I was over there—and I was in fact in Kolkata, further to the north than Mumbai—I didn’t see many bare feet at all, but jandals/flip-flops/sandals seemed to be pretty standard. Closed footwear was the exception rather than the rule as far as I could tell.
And I’d be keen on a barefoot hike. I find the whole idea quite appealing, if a little impractical :).
December 13th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
I can’t do this weekend, but aside from that I’m flexible. The weekend afterwards is quite close to christmas, but would that work for people?
December 13th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
I’m away from the 22nd to the 2nd, and then kinda busy until I go to China on January 11th. I’m back on the 28th. Could do sometime after that?
December 13th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
Should have come up with this idea sooner.
So you couldn’t fit an afternoon in before china? It could like, be a time of spiritual preperation for you…?
I guess we’d have to do it in feb then?
How long do we have matt around for?
December 13th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
I’m keen as can be. If a suitable weekend turns up. The weekend after next would be a possibility if it’s the only one that will work, though my lil sister will only just have got back.
I also like the general direction of your thoughts. Probably because mine are going in similar directions
You read ‘Ishmael’ yet?
December 13th, 2006 at 6:09 pm
I’m around until mid-next-year (if I can find somewhere to live :-P)
December 13th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Nato: I guess I could *maybe* do the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday before I leave on Wednesday 11th.
KT: Not yet… I’d like to read it some time next year.
December 14th, 2006 at 11:24 am
Actually, I could probably do the Sunday afternoon (January 7th) if that will allow more of you to come. I could even advertise it at Ilam; I’m sure the Sunday Afternoon Cycling Church crowd would be interested.
December 14th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
That would work for me.
December 14th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Haha oops that was me.
December 14th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Works for me…
December 14th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Now all we need is a confirmed location.
December 14th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
Yeah that should be ok wif me.
December 14th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
Somewhere on ze peninsula I guess?
December 15th, 2006 at 9:44 am
Ooh! I would love to come! I can prolly do that Sunday… even if I am a pansy and my feet are not hard (as it were)
December 15th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
It will only take a few hours a week of walking around on various surfaces to toughen your soles sufficiently!
The trick to happily walking barefoot is to build up your foot muscles.
December 19th, 2006 at 5:33 pm