Oglesby Austyn, #10
“Going to gym class- Sept. 1”
“Gymnasiums of the Mind” Christopher Orlet
Link: https://philosophynow.org/issues/44/The_Gymnasiums_of_the_Mind
“The Gymnasiums of the Mind” by Christopher Orlet, an article walking upon the idea of motion and thought in our daily lives, but also the idea of being a Peripatetic. We think everyday, from the mundane worries of daily stress, to whatever it is provokes us to think, but maybe we are going about our daily living in the wrong direction. Or as Orlet puts it, “walking – often serves as a catalyst to creative contemplation and thought. It is a belief as old as the dust that powders the Acropolis, and no less fine.” From the ancient Greeks, to Henry Thoreau and beyond, the idea that walking, or moving, stimulates and encourages us to find the answers we seek out in our daily thoughts has been resplendent for centuries, if not longer. I find that walking helps me in finding the hard to reach answers, and here’s why you might too.
Have you ever walked along a wooded path secluded in nature, or have you ever taken a moment from your busy day to just stretch your legs and breathe fresh air? Walking can stimulate the senses, and titillate the thoughts, Ralph Waldo Emerson called walking, “Gymnastics for the mind.” One of the favourite scenes in my life, walking up the path surrounded by trees with the smell of clean mountain air to gaze upon the smoky mountains of Tennessee. Food for thought, or in this case motion for the legs, walking may help stimulate the mind with a change of peripheral pace. Walking is as easy as just getting up and putting one foot in front of the other.
