Why we should value walking
Walking is part of an exercise and a way to keep fit and healthy for long. This is some of the benefits that human beings and even the animals enjoy since without walking food can sometimes be challenging to get. For one to be able to walk there has to be enough walking space and distance for ease in moving around. The society is responsible for maintaining and preventing the walking spaces from being grabbed by rich or other individuals for personal benefits. If walking will be devalued in the society, the free movement from one location to the other is going to be prevented (Thoreau, 294). The building and construction of new and modern business centers will lead to the lack of space for the society. The constructed buildings and roads to individual homesteads will prevent walking since anyone who crosses the boundaries will be prosecuted for trespass in a land that used to be a road for the public. Construction of highways is of much benefit to the society but the highways should also allow a walking space for individuals. Walking can in some ways increase the healthiness of an individual and if the society does not value walking, then the society itself is in a bigger trouble that will involve hospitalization and ask for loans to further medical treatment for its citizens. It always feels very good and much satisfying to just walk around the woods free from any disturbance both in mind and body since it relaxes the body and mind fully. This can only be achieved if walking is valued and put into considerations by every individual and no politics should play to devalue this gift and nature in general.
I do agree with Solnit that if the society loses its focus on walking, the lands and the beauty in it will also be lost and therefore humanity will find an alternative to survive from diseases and everyday prosecution for trespass on private land. Allowing the takeover of the precious ways to allow politics will only lead to a more complicated world where humanity and health do not matter (Thoreau, 300). Supporting the destruction of the environment just to gain credit in the political world will leave the society at risk since politics is just a smoke which will fade away with the occurrence of new events which are now considered a priority. Walking space builds the morale and a much conducive environment where quarrels will never be experienced since the mind has the space to think big in the process. Having a room where walking space is large enough for everyone creates an environmentally friendly zone where freeness is allowed reducing the risk of disagreement as the mind is less preoccupied.
Some of the benefits that come with having a walking space are the strengthening of the heart. Heart diseases that affect humanity can be reduced to walking since it reduces the rate of fat storage in the blood veins leading to heart struggling to pressure the blood out and in the heart. Stroke is also as an effect of lack of enough exercise since the blood pressure is so high leading to strokes (Kinew, 98). Taking a walk for more than thirty minutes reduces the risk of heart-related diseases by 30 percent thereby increasing the lifetime of an individual. The society should embrace walking since devaluing walking will increase the death rates experienced in a community that does not value walking. The kind of foods taken by the current generation is full of cholesterol which reduces their lifespan and the only cheap way to reduce the risk of death is by walking.
Lack of walking increases the chances of gaining weight which largely affects both genders since fats accumulate at the joints leading to disease such as diabetes. Cancer also can be caused by lack of walking and therefore the society should embrace walking compared to preserving the space for construction of roads and other businesses. Walking makes an individual feel and stays happy always. From the reading, an individual who does not walk always has a difficult time mingling with even the loved ones such as a spouse in case of a married couple. Everyday arguments are assured in homes where both parents have no time to walk around or have spent the better part of the day seated at their workplace. This can be caused by the accumulation of stress and thinking without having time to engage in other things. Life for these individuals presents more challenges than that of a broke individual laying by the streets the difference being, the street individual exposes the mind in other several things whereas the shop attendant sits all day waiting for customers (Thoreau, 287). Walking creates moods which allow free thinking and creativity in every aspect. Using the lands preserved for walking for political gains shows how one can degrade the value of human life and success.
Walking is a topic of consideration especially for those individuals who sit all day with the anticipation of selling their items to potential customers. These individuals spend an hour of waiting and it is even a wonder that stress has not shown them a way to end their lives through suicide. Devaluing walking is like making the efforts and struggles these individuals go through day in day out as meaningless (Kinew, 56). If the lands taken by investors and the government could be used to construct fields and recreational centers then there would be a big difference in life expectancy. Such constructive ideas can reduce on funds spent by the government on medical issues.
Comparative freedom is assured for a walker since the landscape by which he/she resides is not owned by an individual but by a society where social and personal responsibility is what the society considers over money. This value can be lost is humanity and society itself devalue walking, therefore, a meaningless life to live for. Putting up fences to reduce the interaction among people brings about hatred and therefore lack of trust among community members which eventually causes theft cases all which come from using the ground as a means to earn revenue from the community around. The man has been given the privilege by God to enjoy what the grounds can produce and also enhance the living standards of the society equally but constructing barriers and man traps to another individual is cruel and eventually the common goal of living harmoniously together as one community is broken. The hills the mountains and the valleys will all be lost if the society continues to devalue walking (Thoreau, 295). The weather around will be lost since cutting down the vegetation reduces the favorable weather where one can rest comfortably.
Walking is simple and it is advantageous to the individuals who walk even after a busy day full of stress. Walking at a moderate speed or in any speed reduces back pains which are sometimes brought by sitting long hours without breaks. The flexibility of bones and muscles indicates the healthiness and therefore the society should support the idea of walking among its members as a way of living healthily. Generations to come will need the environment for survivability and if the society does not preserve the grounds, then the next generations will suffer from lack of areas where they can relieve their stress and do some body exercises (Kinew, 87). Walking can be a way of exploring the lands and having fun with nature. Bending the knees and the legs from one area to another leads to the discovery of new things which can be very helpful in life. Admiring the areas around through walking is the best way to spend the leisure hours. Nature in its all kinds is found through taking a walk to parks and other reserved areas. These locations are mostly reserved by the society and it is a clear indication that the larger society considers walking a valuable asset in human life. Individuals always have two ways to walk but the problem comes to choosing which is which and the most choose the wrong way to follow therefore making decisions which are not worthy (Thoreau, 291). Taking a walk with no meaningful reason always creates a chance for new ideas and making friendship with other individuals, therefore, living a comfortable life. Following our instincts can sometimes lead to no effective living through developing the grounds which reduce the walking of the society.
Works cited
Thoreau, Henry D. Waking: Top Essays: Beacon Press, 2015. Print.
Kinew, Wab. The Reason You Walk: A Memoir. New York: Viking, 2015. Internet resource.
