Connecting Through Walking

All over the world people walk to get from place to place. If they can't walk, they can get from place to place with people who are walking along with them. Walking isn't something that can last a moment because it is something that gets us from place to place over a period of time, but it is something that brings us to experience places, people, and history in ways that are often transcendent.

People have walked on the moon, to represent their opposition to injustice, to bring attention to something that afflicts humanity, to grow deeper in a sense of spirituality or faith, to bond with a friend, family member, or partner, and often to be connected to something or someone important to them. Though many of us cannot walk, we can still experience its liberating power through the movement we make through life. The fluid motion of movement draws one into life and can transform someone's experience of their day or life. Walking along with someone in crisis or sharing in their company can be a way to tune into part of someone else's life, in their movements or even in their feelings when expressed in strides or other means. It brings people closer, more in touch with themselves, and often with each other, and becomes a common bond that has been forged because of what has been shared.

To me, walking is an experience that is close to the heart as it connects me to my soul by feeling the parts of life all around me. When walking with another person, I can hear them better, because I am doing something with them and this sometimes helps me connect to my own humanity. When walking alone, in sadness or in grief, I can feel the larger world reconnecting with me, and showing me more of the universe. In the same vein, I can often feel the parts of life expressed by what lies around me, through the hope expressed in a colorful mural that I pass, trees growing along a neighborhood street, the sadness of a neglected area that is just passed through, and joys of laughter I hear in people playing, dancing, and living near me. It is just a soulful expression of life to move and feel my senses feel and reach to this place of life.

In walking, I can challenge myself to know myself more, to grow through exertion, or to belong to a community or a friendship. It is the greater feeling of joining others in movement, hopefully forward, that allows for me to experience who it is that I am, and where it is that I want to be, amongst the many sights, sounds, and complexities of life.

People walking from place to place in 30th Street Station in Philadelphia

Language Bridges

We live in a large world filled with people who see differently, understand life in their own way as well as in the ways they’ve been raised. Culture is largely influenced by the language we speak, and how we use that language. It can be used creatively through poetry and music or formally through legislation and rhetoric, and  without it we would not share ideas, live differently, or appreciate life. 

As we live, we may have the opportunity to see language splashed onto buildings and boxcars as graffiti or in dishes of food offerings on menus. Across the globe, people speak, write, and tell jokes in their own native tongues that bring flavor and vibrancy to life just as colorful clothing bring expressiveness to our daily lives. In addition, we can hear language and accents in our music, radio broadcasts, and commercials. Language shows our priorities and our passions. It’s importance is understated and realized when it hurts us or lifts us up. 

Knowing we don’t all speak the same language can be difficult, but there are moments where those of us who speak two or more languages can connect how similar we all are or how we can learn and grow from each other’s unique culture. As part of our being is how we speak or write, we can connect to hear the souls of those who have known other climates, sounds, and tastes. 

Once we hear ourselves through language and hear how others live, we can see that language is a tool that brings us together in the best of uses to bring us closer to peace. We can work together, laugh together, and be most alive when we see how much larger life is while we are one earth filled with many people speaking languages about the moment that we have as the present.