By foot or by flight

By foot or by flight. This is a stimulant issue. It is an analogy. It’s like asking “do you prefer a complete dinner or jumping straight to the dessert?”.

Let’s make things a bit clearer. We could start by making up a a practical dilemma. Say you must choose between a cleaning agency taking care of your home (you were away for years and dust is everywhere) or doing the cleaning job yourself. Suppose it is not a money issue because the cleaning agency would do it for promotion. And suppose there are no health issues because you’re perfectly sound (able to polish the house). Actually, it’s not even a time issue because you happen to be available with plenty of time. To put it simply: it’s a free choice. By foot or by flight: the difference between complete and partial is your own choice!

In The Ramones‘ 1978 song “I wanna be sedated” (see the SONGS section of this site) we find this sketch <Just get me to the airport, put me on a plane / Hurry hurry hurry, before I go insane>. Nice picture. But let’s now consider that travelling too much by flight can be one cause of some psychological problems. And it could happen because planes are the most innatural (fastest) means of transportation as compared to the natural walking.

THE AUTOMATIC ANSWER

You certainly think it is quite stupid to go for the hard, blood-sweat-and-tears, DIY job. After all, while the cleaning would be done for free, you could go, for instance, on holidays or maybe spend the money in other ways you like. Indeed, you should have no doubt in saving energies, time, comfort (and your backbone) by leaving all the polishing to the agency. In other words, you’d rather choose ease and rest, rejecting hardness and knee-consumption. Going back to the metaphor, in choosing between by foot or by flight you go for the second option.

RECONSIDERATION

Anyway, putting aside many ordinary mental habits, you could reconsider the automatic choice in favor of the cleaning agency. Why? Well, allow us to start answering with a simple question. Are you absolutely sure that solace and leisure are always, one hundred percent, better than hard work? Who is it that established such a rule? Why are you assuming that hard work is the negative choice as opposed to just taking a walk in a park or going on holidays? Don’t you believe there are too many things taken for granted in your way of thinking and evaluating reality?

THE VALUE OF HARD WORKING

Have you ever considered the possibility that the ‘hard work’, at the end, might give birth to great sentiments of satisfaction? Have you ever thought that it might generate in you a kind of fulfillment you would never experience if the agency comes and rubs up all your home? Do you realize that the ‘hard work’ would make you perfectly aware of all the corners and ceilings and walls of your own house (resulting in a gratifying sense of ‘being part of’)? Are you conscious that the ‘hard work’ will let you know an amount of details about your physical condition, your strength, your resilience, your ability to focus on tasks? Yes, my friend, the infamous ‘hard work’ is, indeed, the best TRAINING for many qualities you actually possess but know almost nothing about.

Choosing the first option between travelling by foot or by flight (complete or partial) means choosing the full experience (a long walk) without any discounts.

EXPERIENCE IS ENGAGEMENT

Our initial question asked to choose whether to travel by foot or by flight (complete or partial). The plane allows you to save a lot of time and it is much more comfortable. Moreover, in many an instance the airliner is simply the only chance of reaching a distant place. Yet, keep this in mind as a reference (it’s just theory): it is only by foot that you really make YOURS the experience of moving, traveling, relocating, visiting, exploring.

All other mechanical ways (car, train, bus) are much easier but equally unnatural. Animals (we are animals) only have legs, paws, feet! The only natural alternative to flights or trains might be riding horses or mules. In fact, riding is very close to walking since it allows measuring the distance and enjoy the action of going around. Besides, it establishes a precious relationships with the carrying animals.

In conclusion, shortways are not very good if your ambition is to grow up in a real, experience-based way!