ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors approach the language of walking through the terminology of experience. The connection between experiencing (in its original unity) and walking receives independent confirmation from Hungarian. Walking or going has a crucial, passive experiential component close to the manner in which Don Quixote, inspired by Ignatius of Loyola, just let his horse decide where to go. This passivity is close to the original, passive aspect of human experience, based on a fundamental unity with oneself, in contrast to rationalist dualism. Walking or going implies movement away from where one is; thus, a kind of distancing. The contrast between walking as a passive experience of being at one with oneself and the divine world, and walking as a distancing and moving away, is particularly intriguing from the central perspective of this book. This claims that walking, especially long-distance walking, is central for securing a basic experience of being-at-home-in-the-world in a joyful contentment.
