She also laughed. Of course when a person is injured one usually shows concern and gives comfort but here both laughed. She remembers the incident and goes on to reflect on its meaning for her.
Why do we use smartphones while walking? Is it because we are busy? No. It's difficult to concentrate while using smartphones and our steps are slower. And it is not only the young generation but also the middle-aged: one out of three Seoul citizens is using a smartphone while walking.
Many use smartphones when walking or climbing stairs, knowing that it is dangerous. Even though it is troublesome in terms of 'body' and 'mind', why is it that one can not put down the smartphone?
When she walks she feels the presence of the body. Loneliness accompanies her. Sometimes she gets stuck within time and space and cannot escape and feels alone. When she runs, she feels out of breath and gets tired when walking quickly. Nothing like walking to experience the present moment. You can't enjoy an extended sense of body by car or airplane. She cannot enjoy the feeling of her own being in movies and drama.Walking helps her confront herself as she it.
She makes it an act of the will to walk almost daily. The body is powerless. Our bodies are constantly looking for something comfortable: to eat, play, to lie down. Walking goes against this desire. What we lack seems to grow as we walk. So people may eat something on the street and listen to music. Maybe I want to enjoy the feeling of fullness with music and the smartphone—to get away from the feeling of being alone and forget the loneliness.
When we find it difficult to endure being alone we encounter bothersome emotions: laziness, boredom, irritability, fear, depression, anxiety, irritability. Few things are as good as a smartphone to escape from this inconvenient feeling.
Smartphones add different emotions and let you forget 'time alone' and the present. However, this habit eventually gravitates towards distraction and desultoriness.
Smartphones make it difficult for us to focus on the present. It's difficult to live a spiritual life without a high level of concentration. Our ability to concentrate will be diminished when talking, studying, organizing, preparing lectures, meeting others, doing creative work, and above all praying.
She walks even when tired, busy and not inclined. Walking is the prayer of the body and she thinks it's an act of pilgrimage. Above all, it is a precious moment to focus on oneself. When you focus on your body, you become one with the spirit. When you enjoy the presence of the body, you can enjoy being alone.
I would like to see all Christians who are seeking God walking without smartphones. Walking is where the body and the spirit can be communicating with each other and enjoying the here and now where God is present.
