what does bushwalking mean to you spiritually?

[wayno]

actually bushwalking is as much about getting the $%#@ away from the over complicated materialistic hieriarchical rule driven society we're trapped in and feel a greater amount of freedom and peace and quiet and autonomy

[Mazo]

A reminder of my insignificance and biodegradability.

'Returning to Nature' is an absurd concept; Instead we are retreating from the 'Civilised' world.

We never left, and Nature never left us; Instead we encourage ourselves to deny the inescapable desire for knowing nature.

There are enduring answers everywhere in Nature, and none of them in words.


Walls, artificial lighting, the burden of choice, debt, expectation, jealousy, control, sterility, ideas, justice.


Flow, rhythm, chaos, fecundity, presence, freedom, truth.

[whynotwalk]

Hi all - this continues to be a fascinating thread, with some great contributions! During my own pondering of the whole area, I came across the slightly mind-blowing idea that walking is both the speed of love, and the speed of God. The thoughts come from a Japanese theologian called Kosuke Koyama, who wrote a book about the "three mile an hour God".

I've explored this, Mt Rogoona, and a bit more, in my latest blog post. http://www.naturescribe.com/2013/05/moving-feet-bending-time.html

cheers

Peter

[peter-robinson]

"three mile an hour God"

Three miles an hour is a bit too close for comfort:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239367.php

But on topic....

I find nothing so uplifting as walking through some deep damp old mossy rainforest. The bright greens, the water sounds, the smell of wet leaves. The burdens of life just melt away for a while.

I love sitting on an escarpment somewhere, looking at mountains and valleys and remembering that I'm only slightly larger and probably less significant than the lichen or wildflower at my feet, but really, the lightness I feel in me when in just the right type of rainforest is nothing like anything else I have encountered.

[whynotwalk]

I'm with you on the rest of your thoughts here p-r, rainforests do it for me too. ... but I had to laugh at this article

Three miles an hour is a bit too close for comfort:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239367.php

I guess you'd hope God - let alone the elderly - could walk faster than the grim reaper Nice one

cheers

Peter

[wayno]

i'm dead meat then with a pack on....

[Hallu]

This study is a bit backward. 5 km/h is a good healthy pace in the city, so this means that healthy old guys that walk normally live longer than lazy old slobs who can't move their *&^%$#@! lol... The real study would have been to force some of the slow participants to walk faster all the time and see what happens...

[wayno]

walkig speed may just be an indicater of general health and your ability to walk at a given speed, the fact that they are walking at 5kph or more doesnt necessarily mean that walking at that speed is keeping them alive longer at all, could be any one of a number of factors combined like diet and how much they are exercising and avoiding over indulging , and general lifestyle... people who take holidays every year live longer than people who don't for instance and even that may not be the only factor for them, more likely they are interested in living an all round balanced life and the workaholics don't pay attention to tehir overall health and wellbeing as much....

[peter-robinson]

I love that article, it's a really humorous way to present their research. Walking speed is just one indicator of general health. Sorry to have sidetracked the conversation but I couldn't resist

[tas-man]

"three mile an hour God"

Three miles an hour is a bit too close for comfort:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239367.php <snip>

The original British Medical Journal article link (http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d7679) was posted in this thread with some other "interesting" discussion viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10626&p=147138