john wayne & the purposelessness of walking

Now that I am able to move around on my own two feet again, I feel like a John Wayne character that has sat on a horse for forty-five years. John Wayne is my new style in every respect.

The single most artificial aspect of walking on crutches is the purposefulness of every movement, at least if one does not fully master the technique of it, which I don't (even though one gains strengh by and by). Ordinarily, walking around is not limited to getting from place A to B. Walking includes activities such as strolling about, getting some excercise, enjoying fresh air, the sun or the view of something, buildings, cities, neighbourhoods. Walking in a demonstration. Walking in a solemn procession. Etc. A lot of activities are, as a matter of fact, a lot less purposeful than we are prone to think. G wrote a philosophical paper on "walking" once. I remember I was fascinated by it, but now I'd like to have a look at it again. He discusssed the flaneur and the way his (the prototype of a flaneur is, typically, a he) walking can be seen as a particular attitude towards the surrounding world. But I won't say a word about flamboyant dandies here, as this is a post that honors the great John Wayne, the all-american hero. Americans are not supposed to walk, they ride on horses, or in monster-cars, taxis and limos. - French sissies strutt about. Real men don't walk. (For me, the friendliness of a particular city correlates with how walking-friendly it is.)