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The slow death of purposeless walking

bbc.co.uk

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Re: The slow death of purposeless walking

#91

Post by SonicSoul »

Very few people, particularly in cities, are obliged to do much of it at all. Cars, bicycles, buses, trams, and trains all beckon.

I think they got it backwards. It's suburbia that let's you use your car door to door.

I haven't done the study, but based on my observations walking is one of the favorite activities of inhabitants of my city. In fact people come from far away just to spend the day walking around. Some is leisure, but one can't help but to introspect when left on pavement for too long.

another person known for his walking was Arthur Schopenhauer. He walked for 2 hours every day regardless of weather conditions[0]. I read about this long time ago and it left a lasting impression.

but walking is not the only activity that is good for introspection. For me driving worked just as well. I miss driving.

[0]http://www.apieceofmonologue.com/2009/06/day-in-life-of-arth...

Re: The slow death of purposeless walking

#92

Post by bitwize »

tspike wrote: post #10
mathattack wrote: post #8

Even in the city, walking without purpose can be done. During an unemployment spell in the 2008 meltdown, I did a lot of very long (2+ hour) walks with limited destinations in mind other than "Far North" or "Far South". I did them without soundtracks or texting. They gave me a much bigger appreciation for the city. Beauty doesn't just exist in the woods.

Cities are wonderful places for aimless walking! When I travel to a new city, my favorite thing to do is to leave 2-3 days at the beginning completely unplanned and just walk out the door of my room and start walking. On a recent visit to SF, I was waiting for a friend to finish with work. He invited me to stay and hang out at his company cafeteria. When I declined, saying I'd rather go wandering, he and his friends…

Hell, that IS my vacation much of the time. I went to Osaka with no firm plans in mind, though I eventually checked out Kobe, Nara, and saw some of the local sights. It was a blast. I drank in some cool bars, chatted up cute Japanese girls, and ate in completely random, nearly hidden ramen shops. The same with Brisbane, Queensland a couple of years later.

When I was in college I'd go into New York City and just wander around. I walked from the Empire State Building to the World Trade Center (the original was still standing). A cool place to walk in (though overwhelming and a bit dangerous if you don't know where not to go).

Re: The slow death of purposeless walking

#94

Post by saraid216 »

hrkristian wrote: post #57
phea wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 17% figure also includes dog walking. For myself, the midnight walks with my dog have been very rewarding. Giving me time to think about things and reflect on the day. Although there are a good number of dog owners who see walking their dog as a chore, which is not the right attitude to have for being mindful.

Walking our dog always felt like a chore growing up. I'd attribute it to being young, but it's now many years later, they have a new dog (both dalmatians) and walking him when visiting is still a chore. He's either on a leash (by law) pulling relentlessly, or he's free, needing vigilant watch. It's perfectly doable having him walk next to you, but he's still stressing out at everything and it seeps into your bones. M…

> Might be many would benefit from taking walks like you do, I run instead, no patience for walking, but I probably should if only for the benefit of learning to be more patient.

One of the suggestions in the article is the walk mindfully. Unless you're familiar with usages of that term, it's not immediately clear what that means:

It's effectively suggesting meditation through walking. You shouldn't be able to take two steps without finding something marginally interesting to consider. That doesn't mean to write it down for later study, but just let it fill your mind for a moment, and then move on to the next interesting thing.

Walking is about getting to know the world by moving through it. That's a lot harder to do at the speed of a jog.

Re: The slow death of purposeless walking

#95

Post by dirtyaura »

mister_m wrote: post #51
CognitiveLens wrote: post #15

This is a strange article, because its content reads like anecdotal (European/Western) history combined with generic self-help advice. There is no evidence presented that people are "walking without purpose" less now than they used to - it seems to me that 17% of walks being "just to walk" is actually a fairly high percentage, but there's no point of comparison. Although people probably walk less now because we have…

Additionally, walking around aimlessly in the city where I live, a lot of the time, is simply not a safe thing to be doing. While the article mentions some differences between our world, and the world of the creative thinkers, it leaves out to a certain extent that a lot of people live in densely populated cities with minimal access to green space. If I wanted to go for an aimless walk in the woods, I'd have to drive…

May I ask where do you live?

Most places in the world are pretty safe actually, and dangers live mostly inside our heads.

Re: The slow death of purposeless walking

#98

Post by k-mcgrady »

SonicSoul wrote: post #91

Very few people, particularly in cities, are obliged to do much of it at all. Cars, bicycles, buses, trams, and trains all beckon. I think they got it backwards. It's suburbia that let's you use your car door to door. I haven't done the study, but based on my observations walking is one of the favorite activities of inhabitants of my city. In fact people come from far away just to spend the day walking around. Some i…

Totally agree. When I lived in a large city I walked a lot more. Not for the reasons you say though. In my suburban home everything I need is at most a 5-10 minute walk away. Because a city is a much larger place it took 10-15 minutes to get from my apartment to most places (coffee, convenience store, public transport etc.).

Re: The slow death of purposeless walking

#100

Post by saraid216 »

canvia wrote: post #86

A lot of the commenters seem to have missed this recent submission: Stanford study finds walking improves creativity (stanford.edu) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7669818

There's a TED talk (aaaaand legitimacy already questionable) that argues that our brains are built for movement. I find this fairly plausible; it feels like a lot of movement activities correlate strongly with better brain functioning.
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