Going Barefoot From the Neck Down

So what am i going to blog about today? Well there is an idea that occurred to me a few weeks ago. It is something that seems simple on the surface so i don't know how well it will translate into this blog here where i try to burrow in beneath the surface and look at why.

But anywho, this idea occurred to me after playing beach volleyball before my statistics class and then it started to rain. See i got sand stuck all over my feet, and sand in between your feet and your sandals... lets just say it isn't the most pleasant situation. When the rain interrupted the game i went into the library to just sit and read for a while, i figured, ah what the hell, get something useful done.

Then, about ten minutes before my class was about to start i decided to walk over. The downpour of course had stopped, but i noticed the puddles on the ground and decided to wander through them barefoot. Yes, i know, i am an adult, i am in university, i am trying to be a writer. The image of me skipping through puddles doesn't seem to fit with all of that.

Thats the point i am driving at here in this post. What is wrong with skipping around barefoot enjoying the feeling of the warm puddles and the cool pavement? Yes, i have been seen several times by completely random strangers skipping through the city this summer.

What can i say? When something gets me into a good mood i like to express it and share it with those around me.

Now for my second point. Who has seen the movie Fern Gully? Brilliant movie, if you haven't seen it good luck finding it to watch anywhere other than YouTube. I know that i had to search for it for a while before getting a copy on DVD.

Anywho, basic plot of the movie is avatar minus the explosions... oh and it came first. So we have humans destroying an environment except that the fairies, yes the movie is about faeries, don't realize this is what people are doing until quite close to the end. After the main character becomes friends with a human. What does this have to do with me skipping when i am happy and walking barefoot through puddles you may ask?

Well the point is that at a point in the story the human carves a name into a tree, and the fair asks him if he can feel the tree's pain. At this point another main character (who is voiced by Robbin Williams, if my endorsement of this movie wasn't enough for you) says this line "humans can't feel pain, they're numb from the neck down".

That is my point, we live in a society which tends to focus in two ways. That your head, your rational logical mind, is the most important part, except in a couple places, in the bedroom and during some kind of sporting event your body becomes important. Outside of those two areas it doesn't really matter what you feel, it only matters what you think. It doesn't matter how in touch with your body you are.

That is wrong. There is no shade of gray here, not really. That is simply wrong, to ignore a portion of yourself because you are told to. To block out important information because it is convention to do so? Wrong.

Here is my challenge for you over the next week. Walk barefoot a bit, see how things feel beneath your feet. And notice where you would spend all your time if you didn't have shoes and socks (or sandals).