Week 15

What is this learning for? This course has complicated the idea of the solitary walker by showing that a walk is often done in union with others, such as the father and his son in The Road, or with the walker together with the forces of nature and distant humanity. Additionally, every walk is an act of reliance on other people, animals, and systems. As many do when walking, we utilize clothing, shoes, and a sense of direction. All of these items have been influenced and were helped to be created by other humans. Multiple forms of dependence make walking possible. One example is social dependence, such as the assumption that walking outside our homes is safe. In many areas of the world today, in certain areas throughout history, this has not always been the case. Even today, during periods of unrest in the United States where there are large numbers of riots and criminals in the streets, or even large numbers of disruptive protestors in public, many individuals do not feel safe walking around in the area. When walking, we are socially dependent on most other people, not aiming to cause us harm, and are also socially dependent on the state to give us protection from harm, instead of always arming ourselves and being on the lookout for life-threatening danger. Additionally, when walking, we are dependent on the infrastructure around us in order to be able to walk effectively. This includes things such as sidewalks, walking paths, or separate areas like parks where walking is allowed and protected. This can also include infrastructure like surveillance cameras, quick emergency alert stations on campus, and other measures designed to deter possible threats and increase walker safety. Infrastructure also includes things like accessible spaces for those who are less mobile and can accommodate wheelchairs or crutches. We are also dependent on our environments to walk, such as allowing for a space free from harmful or dangerous threats like toxic chemicals or wild animals. Future walking narratives might acknowledge this more honestly by making accessible spaces the center of more stories, along with mentioning realities like security threats in decisions as to how we choose to walk.

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