Bare Feet
I can’t understand why the majority of people today deny themselves a whole sense, by putting on socks and shoes, and wearing them almost constantly. Don’t they remember how it once felt to be barefoot, running in the grass, feeling the cool mud between their toes?
The sole of the foot has the highest (or maybe it was the second highest) concentration of pressure receptors on your entire body. Not even your hands has the same concentration. And, considering the feet were undoubtedly made to stay barefoot and move us through life, it’s not really that surprising. We need to see where we’re going, but still keep our eyes unoccupied so they can be used to look at other things. Our feet are perfect; they feel everything, and if not completely abused by shoes, they’ll feel anything that might be dangerous and act accordingly and put less weight on that particular spot, and so on. Two of our most important extremities. With so many muscles, with supreme shock absorption unsurpassable by any shoes, part of a system of bones, tendons and muscles stretching up through our legs, and our backs, with so many receptors to sense the ground and temperature of the surrounding leading the body to compensate accordingly…
…and people confine them in socks and shoes. Stubbornly so, because some who even stops to listen to all the negative sides of wearing shoes, and the positive sides of being barefoot, they take pride in wearing shoes, and almost get deeply hurt if someone were to question them.
But - I’m not going to rant about all the good sides of being barefoot and all the many side effects of wearing shoes, like flat feet, back problems, knee problems, athletes foot, fungus, and so on… others do it so much better than me.
What I wanted to say with this post is to try to explain the indescribable feeling of having taken a long walk outside a hot summer day like this, on scorching asphalt, through cool damp grass, in stores on strangely textured carpets, on ice-cold stone floors, grasping grass with your toes, touching and feeling everything and anything, from cold to hot, from smooth to rough, from grass to rocks. Then, coming home, and then have all those sensations echoing for hours. It’s almost a childish feeling, a feeling of simple and pure shameless joy.
Such a simple thing to do. Yet so few do it.
It’s far less unhygienic than shoes, it’s not smelly, it’s not disgusting. What is disgusting, unhygienic and smelly are all the bacteria that marinates in people’s shoes. What is terrible is that people actually think that shoes are better than bare feet. They aren’t. Sure, sometimes we need protection against hazardous things like chemicals in laboratories and such, but in our day-to-day lives, that’s not necessary. Shoes don’t let your feet’s muscles work as they should, which affect your knees and legs, and in extension also your back. You pound down heels first like your legs were hammers and your feet were some sort of lifeless lumps, and then you wonder why your knees hurt and your back is stiff? Bah.
So simple to take of your shoes. Such a wonderful feeling. Yet so few dare fight the norms of society just a tiny bit.
For more facts and sources, mythbusting and information, please visit www.barefooters.org.
Check out the Barefoot Spirit section related to this post, with tasteful and remixed photos and wallpapers of our two main links to the earth beneath us.
EDIT: An interesting Japanese study showing that what I already know; that no socks/shoes lead to the body getting better at raising its’ temperature and keeping warm, and another study showing that barefoot children learn to avoid dangerous obstacles better and to keep cleaner than shod children.
EDIT 2008-05-13: A very interesting and straight forward article about how we are wrecking our feet with every step we take. Or rather, that you take - I’m fine.
Images: personal photos
Peace and Good!
I haven’t words to comment this entry!
Congratulations!
I’m trying to do what you do, but… old habits die hard. Sometimes I put on shoes just because I always do and sometimes it’s more comfortable
…And as I was trying to say what I felt I found out I wasn’t logged in so.. here’s the next part
..Because it’s been rather hot lately and scorching asphalt.. My feet are not ready for that. However, that thing you wrote about pressure receptors, I will use that argument on my mom, who thinks it’s childish to go barefoot. And I luuuved the way you described all the senses echoing in your feet. I can just feel it…
The problem is that when it’s cold outside, the feet get cold and your immune system gets vunerable. And when it’s hot, as Syntium pointed out, the asphalt burns your soles. And people are careless and throw bottles and stuff on the ground and then if you’re barefoot you’ll hurt yourself on the pieces of glass. Although, when able to walk barefoot - like on grass a nice summer day - I do.
I’ve started not to care much about broken glass anymore; I can walk on it and haven’t cut myself in one or two years. Feet get toughened, your feet and body will react quickly to “bad” surfaces and avoid putting weight on those zones of the foot that step no sharp things and so forth, so saying “you’ll hurt yourself” is an far-from-true generalization. And of course - you can put on a giant body sized condom to protect you, but what kind of life is that? Some would claim that some parts of the immune system are improved by walking barefoot - anything that doesn’t kill you will make you stronger, and secondly, keeping your feet bare will help your body to adapt to the environment’s temperature better, heating up and cooling down when needed. The more clothes you wear, the warmer your body will be tricked into thinking it is, and thus it won’t as efficiently heat up - and the parts that are exposed, like your hands and your very delicate face, eyes, ears, mouth, and so forth, will get cold easier. Your feet especially, with their heightened ability to sense touch and temperature, are an important part of your body’s immune system (please excuse my sucky English) - and if you keep shoes on, you f-ck with that system simply put.
I agree with all you wrote. I only wear shoes at work and going into stores, eating establishments, restrooms and ONLY flip flops. It is indeed child like to be free of shoes. I hike in the woods shodless and rock climb barefoot. I have also walked barefoot in the snow and ran many miles shoe free. It is so free to feel nature beneath your toes and soles. Being barefoot is certainly good for the entire body and soul or soles depending how you look at it and hear it. Those covered in shoes all the time are missing out on one of the easiest ways to be truely free. BAREFOOT IS YOUR SENSES ON FOURTH OF JULY EVERYDAY!!!!
Hello and thanks for a wonderful blog. This post really made me smile; I thought I was the only one that went bare foot but know I see that I’m not alone =) Thanks, SoK; you saved my day.
- PB
[...] is a continuation of the Bare Feet entry, and could be seen as a “sub-blog”. It’s not perfect, but it’s the [...]
shod versus unshod, the emergence of forefoot pathology in modern humans; that’s a study you may be interested in reading. i too am a “barefooter”
it’s interesting to see people’s reaction when they see me walking barefoot through the snow… it’s a great lifestyle that i think more people should take a look at
I only feel truly alive when I am bare foot. I am only truly barefoot at home (in the house and in the yard). Otherwise I wear flip flops or thong sandals. As far as I’m concerned, the only way to drive is barefoot with the top down.and the wind blowing through your toes and through your mind. ( “h’it don’t git no better’n that!” ) I only wear “real shoes” at work (because they are required). I”m sitting here right now , looking at my convertible, right outside the window, with the top already dropped, just waiting for me to get off from work and lose the shoes and socks and “really get off. (”Shoo the shoes and blow the sock off ” time : twenty minutes and counting … ) Zooooooooom …
I like being barefoot when I can, but where I lived it was incredibly difficult with all the grassburs and stickers. Even inside my home it wasn’t smart to go barefoot because of the off chance of stepping on a scorpion, which we had a lot of.
I remember one time I lost my shoes and I went to Wal-Mart to get me a new pair. The bastards wouldn’t let me in though because they were doing some reconstruction in part of the building and if I accidently stepped on a shard of glass or something they were afraid that I would sue…fucking moronic.
While being barefoot when I can is great I think that there is something to be said about the empowering feeling of wearing steel toed combat boots