Solitary walks

 

Craig Mod describes himself as a writer, photographer, and walker. He takes solitary walks all around the world, mostly in Japan, where he has lived for more than twenty years. His book, Things Become Other Things, is largely based on those walks, a distillation of his writing much reflected in his website. I thoroughly enjoyed his walking memoir. His prose is terrific. His wisdom and kindness radiates through the pages. He shares about a life based on a scarcity mindset and discovers, when he lands in Japan in his twenties, that people in that country exist with a mindset of abundance. The closest Japanese word for it is Yōyū. As far as I understand it, the Filipino concept of kapwa seems to approximate what it means—sharing one’s life with others; the neighbor is an extension of one’s self.

Craig is so interesting, and I cannot recommend subscribing to his newsletter—it’s one of the best there is. I’m subscribed to Roden and Ridgeline. He writes about things that resonate with me: cameras, book printing, solitary walks, and humanity. His thoughts about living in an age of distraction are wise and generous.

He also gets me thinking about walking and biking, things I can possibly do in my hometown. Nature is just around the corner—we have mountains and lakes and seas and valleys. And, in all honesty, I haven’t explored my city completely. (A few days ago, my classmate Jeff drove me home from Daphny’s birthday party, and I was surprised that thriving neighborhoods now exist in places that used to be devoid of human dwelling. I told him, “Sigurado ka nga Marbel pa ni, Jeff?) Craig’s photography is amazing, too! He works with Leica and the iPhone; the photographs he features in his newsletters and his book are topnotch.

How strange it is that we never walk as we ought. When one’s foot touches the ground—one foot after the other—the spirit is connected to the ground, the mind is alert, the soul is comforted. But then, there’s the heat and humidity, and the clear and present danger of South Cotabato drivers who can squash you to pieces.