Peripatetics lessons

I would like to die like him: during one of my long walks, from a heart attack, falling on his back, throwing up his left hand, and a hat (certainly a hat!) Flew a meter. On untouched heavy snow - a chain of traces. I hope he had a few minutes to prepare for the transition from his relative non -existence to the total, satisfy the line with satisfaction, everything that he wanted did, although what he wanted, is incomprehensible, and I don’t remember what he did - and others even do not know. Death is easy if all life is preparation for disappearance, when one of the long walks directly leads you to her. This year, on Christmas , Robert Valser will turn 55 years old.

However, my text is not about this (one of the most important) writers of the last century. He is about his favorite occupation, about walking, about walking, not with the aim of sooner, to get from point A to point B. In the last couple of decades, this type of human activity has acquired not only some nostalgic Fleur, he was loaded with numerous cultural and even philosophical and political backpacks. The fact that a few centuries ago seemed quite natural pastime, it could now look - depending on the context - outrageous insolence or the stylization of the traditionalist. Walks suddenly became a fashionable topic for conversations, television shows and books.

I do not intend to engage in a comparative-historical analysis of the use of this word B, say, “walks with Pushkin” and in the corresponding sections of guides in a wide variety of cities, which contains routes of pleasant and useful pedestrian movement. No. My reasoning is exclusively personal and, I would even say, slightly narcissistic. However, all this does not exclude the analysis and follow of common sense. So we set off, dear reader.

First of all, let's forget about what the doctors say. That is, they, of course, are right, walks are an excellent tool for strengthening the heart muscle, as well as legs, arms, back, psyche, anything; Walking better than lying on the couch - and, of course, than to run or drive by car. If I will be allowed to use the funny term of Russoism and romanticism, walking is a natural lesson for “homo sapiens”, walk-for the “homo sapiens” of the era (sequentially) of urbanism, subourbanism and re-urbanism.

Walking is the occupation of a citizen, even if he has been living in rural areas for years. The peasant is not interested in walking - like talking about “clean air” or “the need to be closer to nature”, he is too close to her, you can’t really wash his hands. But back to the recommendations of doctors. It is because of them that walks should not be talked about in connection with health and, forgive me, with a healthy way of life. A fan of Robert Valser and Thomas de Cuinsey knows what his path leads to - not at all to health, but to a black figure lying on white snow, which covers the field near the psychiatric hospital, where our lover of long walks was contained for many years. Doctors appeal to those who want to live forever. There is no desire for a more distant philosopher.

A lone walk is an amazing luxury that is given to a person “in its purest form”, which does not require mandatory accessories in the form of another person, other living creatures, and special equipment. In this sense, a walk is akin to thought and masturbation. However, in this pair there is no equality, since its first element is absolutely self -sufficient, in its extreme case, the thought does not require any other food, except for itself, the second is a certain Ersatz, performed with the participation of another (at least) body. That is why the walk is so perfectly correlated precisely with Duman; The efforts of the muscles of the heart, legs, backs, etc. Not only do not interfere with the activities of gray cells, they create a wonderful rhythm for the activity of the brain.

Moreover, if you are not a yogi, then at least some material for thought is required in one way or another-and here the nose, ears and especially eyes enter the game, they deliver this material in abundance, which is processed in the head, cleansed, turns into thoughts, then into thoughts, then into reflection on their own thoughts and, finally, into the pure distillation from any context of consciousness, which, which, is, which Having reached the limit, it turns off, leaving a walk in a state of complete void.

That's why it is important where to walk. It would be the most wrong to take walks in the so -called “beautiful places”, “admire the beauties of the area”. First of all, “beauty” is nothing more than a social convention; Separating “beauty” with other people, you subjugate yourself to the general opinion, find yourself in the company of people who would not have stood in ordinary life for five minutes. But it would be equally erroneous to create your own beauty scale; Instead of one rigid system, you will offer another, which, firstly, is as imperfect as the one that is rejected, and secondly, may be as popular in the future. Well, in general, beauty is that you think at this second. And point.

So the true lover of walks is quite indifferent to whether he walks along the historical center of the medieval city, in the wide boulevards of the era of the creation of national states, in a boring sleeping area or even along highway, the monotony of which is only emphasized by denunciations and gas stations with variegated icons of oil companies and cool drinks. This statement does not at all contradict the first phrase of this paragraph; It is really very important where to walk, but the importance of this “where” is the result of the work of consciousness already at the time of the walk.

In advance, this is not fundamentally - where to go, the main thing is that there is an opportunity to really “go”, and not follow small dashes between non -proceedings or to link in centuries -puddles on the streets of provincial Russian cities. By the way, if we already talked about Russian cities, then it became almost impossible to walk here; One of the most disgusting signs of the time that came are sidewalks, packed with parked cars. This impudent invasion of stupid pieces of iron in a specially fenced zone of the best of human classes speaks a lot about people who are now inhabiting their homeland. Robert Walzer would not have held out the week in this country.

The main state of a walking walk is a delightful mixture of divine relaxation and light, on the alert, vigilant attention. None of the components should prevail, only their finest balance transforms this lesson into a kind of mystical practice, almost into the earthly analogue of the Vedenborg journey through hell and paradise. Any detail of the landscape, curl of the capitals, wink a traffic light on an empty street at dusk, a silhouette of a concrete fourteen -story building against the background of sunset, a funny combination of the colors of empty crumpled cigarette packs at a crowded urn, the ratio of eleven to three oncoming women and men, everything can become a jerk for a long, unusual series Thoughts that God knows where it can bring while you cross your feet.

The smell of fried potatoes from McDonald's will remind you of the fragrances of the student canteen, where you went during the scientific internship in a distant country, from there you will move to the field of knowledge that in those times you indulged with such passion, after which it will take a question to yourself, they say, why are you so indifferent to the Welsh medieval history, which is quite difficult to say, not to say. Having committed a small autopsychoanalysis, as well as not determining the causes of today's deepest crisis of historiography, finally, slightly surprised by the variety of topics for discussing with oneself, how can one not think about his own thinking, its randomness, mosaic and, alas, inability.

After that, the walking man proceeds to the problem of the discipline of his own thinking and so on, and the like ... I'm not talking about the undoubted value of observations of the outside world, made during a walk. Even modest discoveries can happen here. Say, British writer Will Selfh, a great enthusiast of walks, prefers to walk home from the airport.

The point is not only that claims that this is good for all considerations, just no one has ever seen London in this way ; The walking is as if cutting the body of the city, passes all its layers, notes how it changes, from the suburbs to the suburbs, from the area to the district. You won’t see anything from the bus window (or even a car), these vehicles move along the specified routes (even personal cars; especially now, being the verbia of the Guide-GPS); You can understand the logic of the city only by walking it on foot.

The arguments in favor of walking can be brought by hundreds; I will refrain from this both for reasons of saving, and for a more important reason. Walks should not be promoted - and, God forbid, advertise. It’s like with faith in God or love - either yes, or not. Speaking of love. Only having made a long (without any romance!) A walk with a person who is in love with, you can understand whether you can be a considerable time near him or not. For there is no more important experience than the art of loneliness together. Indeed, on the last, Valzer's walk you go without any accompaniment.