Barefoot

Barefoot

Shelter and safety. They make us feel comfortable and secure. We have a lot of comfort and security and shelter here in america. Rarely do we feel truly threatened or at risk. We go places we know are safe and we take part in activities that are completely within the realm of safety. Even when we risk a little it’s a conscious decision with as much safety measures in place as possible. We have so little risk in our lives we have to inject tiny amounts of it via perceptively dangerous recreational activities that are still extremely controlled.

With all this shelter comes, for me at least, a diminished sense of adventure and a disconnection with the experience of life and spontaneity. How can we truly connect with our surroundings if there’s a constant buffer separating us from it? When’s the last time you felt the touch of grass or soft dirt on the bottom of your feet or the feeling of the cobblestone on a street older than our country? The last time you took the path less walked for the sake of curiosity.

To really experience life we have to be a little exposed, a little vulnerable. If you don’t make yourself vulnerable you can’t open yourself up to new experiences or new ideas. Anytime an artists creates something and shares it with the world they are making themselves vulnerable. Anytime a writer writes they do the same. You have to put yourself out there and sharpen your wits and your awareness. There isn’t a path to discovery that comes without risk. Rather its discovery within yourself or discovery within our world.