Solvitur ambulando – It is solved by… Walking! ~Augustine
I don’t know about you, but I’ve ingested way too much digital content lately. Of course, the catalyst for why I’ve been overindulging was the election. That includes the analysis of the results, the implications of the results, and of course the back and forth of who is to blame or is to receive credit for the outcome. For some of my friends and family, it has reinforced their sense of gloom and despair. They feel like they are entering into a Dark Night of the Soul– a dark night that’s going to last a long, long time. For others, it’s a call for great celebration. Like the 1929 song, “Happy Days are Here Again” except this time it’s the Republicans who are singing it. Time will tell.
Regardless of where you find yourself on the continuum, we could all benefit by clearing our heads from the information assault we’ve willing subjected ourselves to. Time to take a break.
As Augustine said, “it” (whatever our “it” is) can be solved by walking. There is a lot of meaning behind this statement but at the very least, the act of walking provides the context and time to ponder and think through the problems we are personally facing. Sometimes solutions to dilemmas we are struggling with find their way to the surface almost effortlessly. How and why can this work?
Well, for one, I think of the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
By getting out on a regular basis for a good walk apart from barrage of text messages, notifications, and Tik Tok alerts, we and our children, can begin to resist the pull and control our devices have on us. We can begin to resist the creeping addictive influence that technology, phones in particular, have on us. We can experience the art of thinking for ourselves apart from our go to influencers who we overly rely on for their insights, as good as they may be.
An excellent article, The Walking Rebellion: Restoring the Mind at Three Miles an Hour by Ruth Gaskovski, is a great encouragement if you’re thinking about starting a walking routine.
Thanks for reading!
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
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