How Cars Hijack Your Freedom and How Walking Gets It Back

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When people I know see me walk up to local stores, they ask me, “Why did you walk instead of drive?” Some of these people drive as well, while others don’t. What they don’t see is, cars, the very same ones that promise Americans freedom, have hijacked that freedom. They’ve put humans in small metal boxes and billed it as liberation. It doesn’t have to be that way because walking is still therapeutic action that motivates mindfulness and action.

The Therapeutics of Walking

When a person drives, they mostly keep their eyes on the road. They might glance at an occasional billboard or the Golden Arches of McDonald’s. At a stop light, they see a store they hadn’t noticed before. Then, they drive away, all thoughts of what they’ve seen fading away. Because of this habit of driving everywhere, many drivers are disengaged from their surroundings. Walking makes living a more immersive experience.

This curiosity is sparked when you walk through your neighborhood…

What’s really happening in your community? You can read about it on the news, but are you seeing the neighborhood being repaired, more businesses opening or a sudden influx of more people? Is the energy hustle and bustle, or is it slightly sketchy? How can you change the latter? When you walk, you see for yourself and have the chance to compare what you’ve read against what you’re seeing with your own eyes.

Because your community matters, asking the right questions is imperative to answering, “What can I do?” When you notice no store within a four-block radius sells quality groceries, you see a gap that you can fill. It might sound like a stretch, but what if you opened a store to close that gap? What if you did something? This curiosity is sparked when you walk through your neighborhood listening to the beat of its people. The smell of barbecue from the smokehouse on the corner reminds you of what you’re missing.

The walks… serve an even greater purpose that starts within you.

As you walk, you think. As you walk more, your thinking becomes planning. As you pass certain memorable spots like vacant lots or abandoned homes, you’re reminded of what you can do to change things. These repeated reminders inspire action. The walks themselves can serve an even greater purpose that starts within you. Otherwise, being cooped up in a car makes road rage more likely, while also stripping you of your freedom.

Freedom Without Walls

People often wonder why road rage is even a thing, completely forgetting that driving is claustrophobic and completely against human nature. In modern homes, the layout is open, giving the humans who reside in them the space all humans need. But vehicles conflict with that human need for space.

With the invention of carriages and cars, we changed not only how humans travel but how they interact with the environment, their communities and directly with other individuals. But driving also drove humans kind of mad. Why is road rage a thing?

All of these moments make you feel.

Some drivers spend up to three hours a day five days a week driving to and from work. Drives that are long can increase feelings of claustrophobia, anxiety and anxiousness. Add in the prospect of being late to a board meeting, and you have created the recipe for disaster. To regain some of the sense of autonomy driving can erode, claim your freedom and peace by letting your legs do the talking. In this instance, it’s not just about walking. It’s about walking mindfully.

There is something serene and nostalgic about walking along a lakefront. A wall of air might hit you as a jogger speeds by. Or your heart might skip a beat as you eye the silhouette of a couple hand-in-hand in the fading orange glow of the sun. All of these moments make you feel. That is the point.

For a moment, your curiosity gets to run wild…

When you feel your surroundings — the breeze off the lake, butterflies in your stomach inspired by a couple — you feel alive and rejuvenated. For a moment, your curiosity gets to run wild, as you make up happy endings and joyous moments for the jogger who goes on to win a marathon or the couple who goes on to exchange rings. Arguably, it is “What if?” moments that have defined human growth and invention. It is the same with you.

Importantly, we don’t always get to feel what we want when we want. At work, you don’t admire the art on the walls because you have clients to call and issues to resolve. In a crowded home, you don’t get to feel freedom when someone repeatedly barges in the restroom when you’re inside. However, you can choose to go. But where?

They want to show you their pinks, their reds, their purples…

Within conservatories, plants greener than the prettiest American lawns wait for you. They want to show you their pinks, their reds, their purples in full-bloom to remind you of what you’re missing. If you prefer no roof, conservatories have plenty of plants you can fawn over underneath the sky. Or go see the birds.

Somewhere, you have a forest preserve thick with trees and singing birds. They have walking trails, carved out by the many before you who’ve found peace in this open shelter for the wild. The air hits the lungs differently here, and the singing birds chirp tunes for the soul. This is a place you can go and enjoy a mindful walk.

The Takeaway

Although cars promised freedom, they actually took that freedom away. That freedom has been restricted to a metal box with glass windows, making drivers more observers than doers. However, walking still exists, and it can be done mindfully. Doing so reignites that motivation to do sparked by immersive experiences. Curiosity is as important to society as it is the individual. So, pull over, walk and ask a few questions. The answers might surprise you. You might just change a thing or two and become an owner in the mix. At the very least, you’ll get your steps in and prevent a little air pollution.

Challenge for You: Try walking somewhere this week, maybe to the grocery store. Tuck your phone and earphones in your pocket. What’s that sound? Who’s cooking that? Sense everything. Love your community.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block.