8 ms·

There were times in my life (thesis writing) where I'd go and sit in the library all day to work and come home in the early evening. The psychological stress on

by kleiba 11y ago

There were times in my life (thesis writing) where I'd go and sit in the library all day to work and come home in the early evening. The psychological stress on me during that time was tremendous. Every evening, after coming home, I'd have a small dinner and then go for a one-hour walk, always the same route. At that time, I lived in a small town, and my route would take me down a dead-end street, across another one, and then on to the fields where there weren't any cars and hardly any people. Just a wide space with a bit of a view. This was usually just before sunset. Continuing on, I would eventually get back to a different part of the town I lived, I had to climb up some stairs and walk through a quiet neighborhood before getting back to my own street. All in all, it took around one hour to walk that way. I believe that this process really helped me save my sanity during that time of extended mental stress. I could literally air our my brain, and also get some mild physical activity after sitting in the library all day. I tried really hard not to think about my thesis, but just to take in the scenery, the light, the wind. Sometimes it rained. It was really healthy. In contrast, I remember a former co-worker telling me about a road trip they once did. I think it was in Arizona, but I might be wrong. Anyway, after driving for many hours, they decided to take a break and just to walk down the road for a few minutes before hitting the road again. So they pulled over and started walking. Sure enough, in no time, they get stopped by the cops who inquire what the heck the are doing! They weren't walking on the road or in any otherwise dangerous fashion -- but apparently in that area, just being out and about on foot was enough of a reason to be considered suspicious. :-)

aninhumer 11y ago
If someone gets out of their car in the middle of nowhere and starts walking, it's fairly possible that they've broken down or run out of fuel, in which case the police could help them out. I don't know how the interaction in question went, but it's possible they were just interpreting an earnestly concerned police officer as suspicious because of a (justifiable) distrust of police.
- fuzzywalrus 10y ago
  Maybe this is my Northwestern showing but as a (nearly)lifer of the Pacific Northwest, I can honestly say that if I see someone walking, I assume they're out for a walk even when I lived in a town of 2500. I imagine this is the privilege of living somewhere known for natural beauty because I think "Why wouldn't you want to be outside?" It's fascinating to read about inherent fear of being questioned. I don't think its ever crossed my mind, and its not uncommon to see cars parked along side random roads all through Oregon and Washington. I guess I'm lucky in this regard.
  - sliverstorm 10y ago
    HN is full of people who are paranoid about the NSA, CIA, FBI, and local police department. Right or wrong, I don't think it's representative of the attitude general population.
    - Declanomous 10y ago
      To quote Nirvana: Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you. I wouldn't say the general population trust police officers. Being able to trust the police is a form of privilege that minorities, the poor, etc. often don't have. Most individuals from an upper-middle class background don't have reason to distrust the government. The people on HN are probably an exception. I think perception of law enforcement depends largely on whether a person has found the authority figures in their life to be benevolent or malicious. Authority figures, especially law enforcement, tend to view those outside the norm with suspicion.
agumonkey 11y ago
One hour of above moderate walk will do wonders. If you have subtly wild natural spots to go through, it's guaranteed. Japanese researchers are looking into the benefits of forest walking. There's a subtle complexity in non human processed places that tickle our senses in deep ways. It's as stressing as massaging.
VMG 11y ago
Reminds me of this story https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pedestrian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pedestrian > Eller writes that Bradbury's inspiration for the story came when he was walking down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles with a friend sometime in late 1949. On their walk, a police cruiser pulled up and asked what they were doing. Bradbury answered, "Well, we're putting one foot in front of the other." The policemen didn't appreciate Ray's joke and became suspicious of Bradbury and his friend for walking in an area where there were no pedestrians. Using this experience as inspiration he wrote "The Pedestrian", which he sent to his New York agent Don Congdon in March 1950. According to Eller, "[the story's] composition in the early months of 1950 predates Bradbury's conception of 'The Fireman,'" the short novella that would later evolve into Fahrenheit 451.[2]
- jon-wood 10y ago
  Nice story, it also reminds me that Farenheit 451 also featured the protagonist walking when everyone else is driving so it must have made an impact on him.
- noonespecial 10y ago
  This happened to me in a small rural town in Iowa in 2013. It was so rare to see a younger guy in a hoodie walking around my parents' neighborhood that residents called the police. I was taken back to my parents house in the back of a squad car to "verify my identity". I was curtly informed that "just going for a walk" was probably not a good idea. I have never felt more dystopian.
  - chippy 10y ago
    talk to your local volunteer politicians, you know, the ones on your town council, who may well be ex hippies, or at least understand what you are concerned about.
RobertoG 11y ago
"but apparently in that area, just being out and about on foot was enough of a reason to be considered suspicious." Maybe, this is an American thing. Some colleagues of me explain how, in a job trip to Atlanta, they decide to go back to the hotel walking. They could see the hotel from where they were, so, why not? Sure enough, the police stopped them and wanted to know what was wrong. They have a lot of fun explaining it.
- JustSomeNobody 11y ago
  Sometimes police will stop people who look the complete opposite of suspicious just to make sure they don't need help.
  - RobertoG 11y ago
    Yeah... but because they are walking.. I think that say something about how the city is designed.
    - ethanbond 11y ago
      Younger US cities aren't designed for walking so yes it looks weird when you're walking around. I don't know anything about Atlanta but in Arizona, per parent comment's story, for example, it's strange to see people walking around because it's way too hot in 80% of the state to walk around for leisure. On top of that, the towns are so spread out that it makes no sense to walk from point A to point B. So if people are walking around, they're doing so aimlessly in a climate that is not really conducive to doing so. It seems reasonable to think they're either in trouble or up to trouble.
      - coldtea 10y ago
        >I don't know anything about Atlanta but in Arizona, per parent comment's story, for example, it's strange to see people walking around because it's way too hot in 80% of the state to walk around for leisure. I don't think it has anything to do with the temperature. You see tons of people walking around in cities in equally hot or hotter climates, from Cairo to the tropics...
seanmcdirmid 11y ago
I was jet lagged at a resort hotel in Tucson, and decided to walk to a Starbucks at 4 am in the morning. It took around 3 hours (I misjudged the distance) on partially rural desert roads, beautiful stars at that time in the morning with tall cactus silhouettes in the background (was close to the mountains, while Tucson is very good about keeps light pollution down). No police, but the walk back was a pain with the Arizona sun out by then.
z3t4 11y ago
If I would see some dudes walking along the road in nowhere, I would probably also stop and ask if everything was ok, or call the cops.
parennoob 10y ago
> Sure enough, in no time, they get stopped by the cops who inquire what the heck the are doing! They weren't walking on the road or in any otherwise dangerous fashion -- but apparently in that area, just being out and about on foot was enough of a reason to be considered suspicious. :-) ...and sometimes this attitude of "people who are walking around are suspicious" can lead to pretty dire consequences if your skin is the wrong color: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/indian-grandfather-paralyzed-after-encounter-alabama-police-n305081 http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/indian-grandfather...
Spooky23 10y ago
A guy I went to high school with is in the process of walking across the United States. He's pushing his gear in a cart that looks like a baby carriage. His first week on the road, someone frantically called the cops to report a man walking down the road with a dead baby in a stroller.
- vram22 10y ago
  >walking across the United States Long back I had read an article or series in National Geographic about an American who did that - walked from coast to coast. Great story.
  - dalke 10y ago
    Probably https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_Across_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_Across_America : > Walk Across America is a nonfiction travel book first published in 1979. It was the first book written by travel author Peter Jenkins, with support from the National Geographic Society. The book depicts his journey from Alfred, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana. While upon his journey of self-discovery, he surmounted the travails of travel, engaged himself in others' lives, lost his best friend, experienced a religious conversion, and courted a new wife.
    - vram22 10y ago
      Cool. I think it is the same person.
    - vram22 10y ago
      I read that Wikipedia page you linked to, and others linked from it. Interesting stuff. The info about "The Farm" :) (where Jenkins stayed for a while) and "The Publishing Company" run by The Farm made for nice reading about alternative / appropriate tech, etc. People were doing this years ago. I've mentioned this in a few forums, about people like E. F. Schumacher. Done a bit of it myself, like biogas plants, organic gardening, etc.
- hrayr 10y ago
SilasX 10y ago
In college (small Texas city), I lived in an apartment just catty-corner to the university, but some parts of it lacked a sidewalk (though still had a curb). When taking the 10-minute walk home, some people would stop and assume I needed a ride!
ocschwar 10y ago
In parts New Mexico and Texas, if you're driving and see someone walking, it's considered proper to stop and ask if he's hydrated. Never mind whether he has a reason to be walking there.
sirtastic 10y ago
Walking meditation is a thing. I found it highly effective in my life and a big part of why I'm an avid hiker/backpacker enthusiast.

by kleiba 11y ago

aninhumer 11y ago

If someone gets out of their car in the middle of nowhere and starts walking, it's fairly possible that they've broken down or run out of fuel, in which case the police could help them out. I don't know how the interaction in question went, but it's possible they were just interpreting an earnestly concerned police officer as suspicious because of a (justifiable) distrust of police.

fuzzywalrus 10y ago
Maybe this is my Northwestern showing but as a (nearly)lifer of the Pacific Northwest, I can honestly say that if I see someone walking, I assume they're out for a walk even when I lived in a town of 2500. I imagine this is the privilege of living somewhere known for natural beauty because I think "Why wouldn't you want to be outside?" It's fascinating to read about inherent fear of being questioned. I don't think its ever crossed my mind, and its not uncommon to see cars parked along side random roads all through Oregon and Washington. I guess I'm lucky in this regard.
- sliverstorm 10y ago
  HN is full of people who are paranoid about the NSA, CIA, FBI, and local police department. Right or wrong, I don't think it's representative of the attitude general population.
  - Declanomous 10y ago
    To quote Nirvana: Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you. I wouldn't say the general population trust police officers. Being able to trust the police is a form of privilege that minorities, the poor, etc. often don't have. Most individuals from an upper-middle class background don't have reason to distrust the government. The people on HN are probably an exception. I think perception of law enforcement depends largely on whether a person has found the authority figures in their life to be benevolent or malicious. Authority figures, especially law enforcement, tend to view those outside the norm with suspicion.

agumonkey 11y ago

One hour of above moderate walk will do wonders. If you have subtly wild natural spots to go through, it's guaranteed. Japanese researchers are looking into the benefits of forest walking. There's a subtle complexity in non human processed places that tickle our senses in deep ways. It's as stressing as massaging.

VMG 11y ago

Reminds me of this story https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pedestrian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pedestrian > Eller writes that Bradbury's inspiration for the story came when he was walking down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles with a friend sometime in late 1949. On their walk, a police cruiser pulled up and asked what they were doing. Bradbury answered, "Well, we're putting one foot in front of the other." The policemen didn't appreciate Ray's joke and became suspicious of Bradbury and his friend for walking in an area where there were no pedestrians. Using this experience as inspiration he wrote "The Pedestrian", which he sent to his New York agent Don Congdon in March 1950. According to Eller, "[the story's] composition in the early months of 1950 predates Bradbury's conception of 'The Fireman,'" the short novella that would later evolve into Fahrenheit 451.[2]

jon-wood 10y ago
Nice story, it also reminds me that Farenheit 451 also featured the protagonist walking when everyone else is driving so it must have made an impact on him.
noonespecial 10y ago
This happened to me in a small rural town in Iowa in 2013. It was so rare to see a younger guy in a hoodie walking around my parents' neighborhood that residents called the police. I was taken back to my parents house in the back of a squad car to "verify my identity". I was curtly informed that "just going for a walk" was probably not a good idea. I have never felt more dystopian.
- chippy 10y ago
  talk to your local volunteer politicians, you know, the ones on your town council, who may well be ex hippies, or at least understand what you are concerned about.

RobertoG 11y ago

"but apparently in that area, just being out and about on foot was enough of a reason to be considered suspicious." Maybe, this is an American thing. Some colleagues of me explain how, in a job trip to Atlanta, they decide to go back to the hotel walking. They could see the hotel from where they were, so, why not? Sure enough, the police stopped them and wanted to know what was wrong. They have a lot of fun explaining it.

JustSomeNobody 11y ago
Sometimes police will stop people who look the complete opposite of suspicious just to make sure they don't need help.
- RobertoG 11y ago
  Yeah... but because they are walking.. I think that say something about how the city is designed.
  - ethanbond 11y ago
    Younger US cities aren't designed for walking so yes it looks weird when you're walking around. I don't know anything about Atlanta but in Arizona, per parent comment's story, for example, it's strange to see people walking around because it's way too hot in 80% of the state to walk around for leisure. On top of that, the towns are so spread out that it makes no sense to walk from point A to point B. So if people are walking around, they're doing so aimlessly in a climate that is not really conducive to doing so. It seems reasonable to think they're either in trouble or up to trouble.
    - coldtea 10y ago
      >I don't know anything about Atlanta but in Arizona, per parent comment's story, for example, it's strange to see people walking around because it's way too hot in 80% of the state to walk around for leisure. I don't think it has anything to do with the temperature. You see tons of people walking around in cities in equally hot or hotter climates, from Cairo to the tropics...

seanmcdirmid 11y ago

I was jet lagged at a resort hotel in Tucson, and decided to walk to a Starbucks at 4 am in the morning. It took around 3 hours (I misjudged the distance) on partially rural desert roads, beautiful stars at that time in the morning with tall cactus silhouettes in the background (was close to the mountains, while Tucson is very good about keeps light pollution down). No police, but the walk back was a pain with the Arizona sun out by then.

z3t4 11y ago

If I would see some dudes walking along the road in nowhere, I would probably also stop and ask if everything was ok, or call the cops.

parennoob 10y ago

> Sure enough, in no time, they get stopped by the cops who inquire what the heck the are doing! They weren't walking on the road or in any otherwise dangerous fashion -- but apparently in that area, just being out and about on foot was enough of a reason to be considered suspicious. :-) ...and sometimes this attitude of "people who are walking around are suspicious" can lead to pretty dire consequences if your skin is the wrong color: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/indian-grandfather-paralyzed-after-encounter-alabama-police-n305081 http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/indian-grandfather...

Spooky23 10y ago

A guy I went to high school with is in the process of walking across the United States. He's pushing his gear in a cart that looks like a baby carriage. His first week on the road, someone frantically called the cops to report a man walking down the road with a dead baby in a stroller.

vram22 10y ago
>walking across the United States Long back I had read an article or series in National Geographic about an American who did that - walked from coast to coast. Great story.
- dalke 10y ago
  Probably https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_Across_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_Across_America : > Walk Across America is a nonfiction travel book first published in 1979. It was the first book written by travel author Peter Jenkins, with support from the National Geographic Society. The book depicts his journey from Alfred, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana. While upon his journey of self-discovery, he surmounted the travails of travel, engaged himself in others' lives, lost his best friend, experienced a religious conversion, and courted a new wife.
  - vram22 10y ago
    Cool. I think it is the same person.
  - vram22 10y ago
    I read that Wikipedia page you linked to, and others linked from it. Interesting stuff. The info about "The Farm" :) (where Jenkins stayed for a while) and "The Publishing Company" run by The Farm made for nice reading about alternative / appropriate tech, etc. People were doing this years ago. I've mentioned this in a few forums, about people like E. F. Schumacher. Done a bit of it myself, like biogas plants, organic gardening, etc.
hrayr 10y ago

SilasX 10y ago

In college (small Texas city), I lived in an apartment just catty-corner to the university, but some parts of it lacked a sidewalk (though still had a curb). When taking the 10-minute walk home, some people would stop and assume I needed a ride!

ocschwar 10y ago

In parts New Mexico and Texas, if you're driving and see someone walking, it's considered proper to stop and ask if he's hydrated. Never mind whether he has a reason to be walking there.

sirtastic 10y ago

Walking meditation is a thing. I found it highly effective in my life and a big part of why I'm an avid hiker/backpacker enthusiast.