Shall We Walk?

by Pura Santillan-
Castrence
This essay was written during the Japanese Occupation but it is as relevant today as it
was then.

I wrote an article some years ago on the benefits of walking. My automobiled friends
praised the article politely enough, they liked it (at least they said so); the points were well
taken; people should really walk more; it took someone like me to show in such graphic
terms what could have been clear to everyone before… then they went on their morning-
till-night automobile rides, increasing the size of their paunches and the number of their
chins and illnesses…

I must state, however, that I didn’t start to sell the idea that walking is the panacea of all
earthy ills, not that one should walk from here to Tarlac if there is not truck available, not
that rain or shine, in sickness or in health one should walk or else. But I did set out to
claim that if milady has to give up once in a while her tricycle or carromata ride, she will be
one none the worse for the little exercise she gives her limbs.

Walking keeps the form fit. It obviates bay windows, inelegant in men, unsightly in women.
Walking puts into play painlessly and unconsciously, important body muscles. The leg
muscles, obviously, are the ones mostly affected. But when the legs move they pull at the
abdominal muscles, giving them the needed exercise, which prevents their getting flabby
and the abdomen’s becoming big and pendulous. The static muscles of the back,
especially those around the spine, are put into movement, too, and this is essential in the
maintenance of good posture. The arms also swing into motion as a natural
accompaniment of walking.

There are all manners of walking. The ambling walking of the absorbed lovers, while
satisfactory from the point of views of giving opportunity for sentimental discourse, is not
so from the point of view of exercise. From the latter viewpoint, a brisk morning walk is the
thing. You need not even plan it as a formal program. It is a relatively simple thing to walk
to the office, or if that is too much because where you work is quite distant from your
home, walk part of the way. Either choice you take, however, makes it worthwhile by
deriving from it the exercise you need. Walk vigorously and enthusiastically. You can
almost actually feel the blood circulating in your body with a briskness equal to the vim
and zest you put into your walking.

Some enthusiasts have it that a good habitual walker is also a good habitual thinker.
Perhaps the situation is a bit far-fetched considered as direct cause and effect. Clean
thinking may come as a result of good blood-circulation a general body health, to which
may have contributed the exercise derived from walking improves the eyesight. Although
when the walks are done out in the country, where a person has to look far into the
distance most of the time, at hill-peaks and tree-tops or upon green grass across the
brooks, the far sight focusing affords rest and is good for the eyes.

Walk and be healthy. Walk and save money. Why be a slave of His Excellency, the
cochero, when it is only a matter of a ten or a fifteen-minute walk? Walk, instead, and see
the city sights at close range. Many things of varied interest will attract you. Show-
windows will engross you if you are an addicted window-shopper. Perhaps you intend to
buy a pair of shoes next pay-day. Or a vest, do, or a barong Tagalog for a friend or hubby,
a bag for little Wifie. Window-shopping now will help you later.

If you don’t care particularly to shop merely with your eyes, if window-shopping only gives
you pain and longings you never hope to see fulfilled, there are other things besides
windows to make a walk interesting. People, for instance. What o mothey crowned of
interesting human beings a short walk can afford you. You see all types, dressy fops with
their uselessness written all over their persons, worried looking fathers of families, frowsy
dames with eyes that tell stories of hopes and frustration, eager youths and pretty girls
flirting with each other openly or subtly, but always charmingly, because they are young.
You see an old woman with her bundle of knickknacks, and you wonder how
many grandchildren will shout for joy on her arrival. There is a vicious-looking beggar
whom you evade, because he appears more as your-life-or your –money type than a
bonafide pauper who needs your help. A loud-mouthed woman, with the market brand
stramped on her face and bearing, is haggling over the price of a ride with an equally
tough cochero. Words are exchange, voices become excited and shrill, but you are
already out of hearing distance. All your interest is now taken up by an old couple, worn-
out and thin to emaciating, but still with the light of love and adventure in their eyes. You
see the man gallantly giving his arms to his wife as they staggeringly cross the street. You
wipe the mist in your eyes, and it is good that you do so in time or you would not see two
little children, their attention centered upon some candy displayed on a counter near the
sidewalk, coming plump into your path. You step aside, watch the eager hungriness of
their look.

Maybe such city sights fatigue you as they do some people who prefer using a walk for
meditation purposes; then take to the wide open spaces. Don’t protest too soon…. You
need not leave the city nor your job; you can simply take a little time to get out of the
streetcar lines and busy-streets, and seek the fields or the less trodden path of so-called
civilized life. Walk and think, allowing Nature to soothe your bruised spirit. Let the swaying
grass teach you the beautiful lesson of resilience, of bending to the inevitable, the wind of
circumstance. Let the flower teach you the essential perpetuity of life, and the bird, the joy
of existence. The tree, symbol of dignity and serenity, indifference and aloofness, is to
make you see, with a sense of balance, trivialities for what they are; the little lakes,
sometimes mere puddles, full of tadpoles and fishes and insects, to show you that life
sprouts anywhere, that your own, for all its seeming importance to you, cannot mean so
very much in the big scheme of living.

Perhaps you have a problem. Some would-be advisers walk it. Walk it and see it from
different angles. Walk it and see it for the first time against the background of the whole
universe. And while walking, says an expert on the subject, “think tall, pull your chin up and
throw your chest forward no matter how heavy a burden you carry on your shoulder.”
 With your sense of proportion restored by quiet deliberation and by the palpable sympathy
of Nature all around you, you strike at one solution, then another. Your judgment, made
clear by the classmates brought about by your walk and your surroundings, becomes
sound and wise. You reach a decision, and it is generally good.

Walk and know yourself. You will be surprised to find out what an enjoyable companion
you can be to yourself. Don’t be like the man who gets so bored being left alone with his
thoughts that he has to have a book with him all the time he is not with people. Books
have their place, too and an important place it is, but so have walking and getting
acquainted with yourself. Just thresh out the little doubts you have regarding this and that,
mull over remarks made by your friends or office mates, study the personalities you have
come across during the day. It’s fascinating pastime. And all this while you are taking your
constitutional walk.

Shall we walk this once then, Milady?

Comprehension Questions:

1. What are some of the tips the author gives regarding how to do walking?

The author clarified that walking isn’t the solution for all lifestyle diseases, but claimed
that giving up a tricycle or carromata ride for once is much better to exercise one’s limbs.
Aside from that, he mentioned that there are several manners of walking. A brisk
morning walk is a good idea to start the day. However, he advised the readers to walk
vigorously and enthusiastically for a finer experience. This way, blood circulation is
almost felt depending on the vim and vest one will exert.

2. What are some other benefits of walking beside good muscular health?

In addition to good muscular health, walking helps an individual save money. Walking
also allows us see the world in a different lens. We notice the joy of little things that are
usually taken for granted. Moreover, it offers an opportunity to take a breather and
ponder over our life choices. Lastly, it introduces us to our environment. We get to
appreciate the beauty of nature the more we walk. With our sense of proportion restored
by this exercise, our judgment becomes more reasonable as well.

3. What kind of walking does not produce the benefit of exercise?

Ambling walking similar to what absorbed couples do does not produce the benefit of
exercise. Although it gives off a sentimental and relaxed vibe, this manner of walking is
too slow to generate physical results.

4. What excuses for not walking were mentioned by the author?

The author mentioned that people do not practice walking habitually because of distance
and fatigue. One may reason out that their destination is too far for walking although it is
still achievable. It could also be that city sights stresses some individuals unlike others.
However, the author addressed this concern and recommended to walk on wide open
spaces instead.
5. What does the author recommend regarding walking?

The author recommended that observing people makes a walk more interesting. When
walking, one gets to encounter different personalities even for a short period of time. An
individual begins to wonder what their lives might be. Now that you have taken a closer
look, you begin to see the little things and the beauty in it.

Critical Thinking Questions:

6. Would you recommend walking as a good exercise in your community? Why or why
not?

Yes, I recommend walking as a good exercise in my community. Walking can offer

numerous health benefits to people of all ages and fitness levels. It may also help
prevent certain diseases and even prolong one’s life. More importantly, walking is free to
do and easy to fit into our daily routine.

7. With which of the author’s points do you strongly agree and why?

I strongly agree when the author stated that walking helps improve and maintain overall
body health. This aspect is obviously a fact that everyone knows. Several studies have
already proved that this type of exercise indeed makes a person fit. Other than that, I
also acknowledge that walking can clear one’s mind. When I’m in a bind, I also do this
and I tell you, it really does wonders.

8. What other possible activities can you do while walking?

Just like what the author recommended, I also observe people while walking. Looking at
them makes me curious why they were wearing such expressions and what kind of life
they were living. It is surely a fascinating pastime to discover new personalities.

9. What tips, if any, from the author do you think are not applicable in your community?
Why not?

I think any of the tips mentioned by the author are applicable to my community. Just like
what the author suggested, the people in my place have already practiced walking
habitually. I once joined my mom in exercising and I saw a lot of them doing it.

10. How different do you think was the author’s city compared to today’s cities?

Since this essay was written during the Japanese occupation, the author’s city seems to
be less advanced than today’s cities. Transportation through carromata ride was popular
back then. But in the present, we see lesser of them since cars, jeepneys, tricycles, and
motorcycles already dominated the streets. Also, their environment seems to be greener
and healthier compared to ours that is heavily altered. Instead of seeing the raw beauty
of nature, establishments and houses were built which destroyed the scenery.