When I was a boy watching baseball on TV a common comment when a batter fouled a ball off of his foot was that he would “walk it off” and stay in the game. An internet definition of this phrase is
walk it off: To attempt to alleviate an injury, typically a leg or foot injury, by walking until the pain dissipates. Typically used as an imperative, sometimes one intended to be humorous.
In my own life I have elevated this idiom into a philosophy.
The most direct application of my philosophy is for healthcare. There is another idiom that is , “time is a great healer,” that is equivalent to walk it off. So my first instinct whenever I have any kind of ailment is to wait some time for it to go away. For the vast majority of cases this approach works without adverse effects. I took the following quote from an interview of Dan Roytas:by Sam Bailey:
“In the past 24 months, I had numerous docs tell me to be afraid of well lots of test numbers and what not. I decided the heck with them, they don’t know me. I eat well, I’m informed, I think outside of the system’s boxes, and I love to hike, camp, cycle, do my art, read alternative news (yes!) and make up my own mind….Screw ’em! All! Since I’ve given up docs, I feel so much better.“
The takeaway message is that the body heals itself. I regularly follow The Darkhorse Podcast with Bret Weinstein and his wife Heather Hying. They have described the three great medical developments as surgery, antibiotics and vaccines. To their credit they have backtracked on vaccines. I think all three interventions have been widely and inappropriately overused causing immediate and long term harms (e.g., destruction of necessary biomes in individuals and the development of superbugs due to overuse of antibiotics, respectively). However, I also think that there are some applications of these three that on balance are beneficial. I have had one minor surgery and application of antibiotics in my life following a puncture wound in my foot (I stepped on a roofing nail). I literally could not walk it off.
Perhaps more important than for physical ailments is the psychological application of walk it off.
In the immediate time frame, exhibit emotional intelligence; that is, understand and manage your emotions. In my world, road rage is always a bad thing. If someone cuts you off in traffic . . . walk it off!
The walk it off philosophy directly applies to failure. See the advice of Edward Curtin to Rory Mclroy after he missed several short putts to miss out on the US Open golf championship, A Father’s Day Message to Rory McIlroy. He explains why one should forget the past, walk it off, to have a better future.
For me, the most important assertion of the walk it off philosophy is to shun resentment.
There is the clear fictional example of Captain Ahab and his self-destructive chase of Moby Dick to illustrate the results of resentment.
The Bionic Mosquito did a study of the Sermon on the Mount. In his post
Resist Not Evil he addressed the most difficult of Jesus’ pronouncements,
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Bionic explains that, “Moral victory is attained not by revenge, but by preventing the conflict from escalating further by making concessions, even to the point of sacrificing one’s self interest. Keep in mind: all of Jesus’s teaching in this Sermon has been aimed at the spirit of the Christian, not at creating law which condemns those under grace.” However, the worst part of resentment is not directed toward enemies but to loved ones. It seems like small slights can ruin friendships and break up families. In my philosophy, just remember to forget resentment and walk if off!
There are many examples, explanations, and extensions that come to mind regarding this philosophy. For example, the walk it off philosophy fits rather well within the scope of Christian stoicism. But I have found when trying to transmit this philosophy to my daughter that simply stating “walk it off!” in response to a problem is much more effective in quickly and directly imparting my thinking than a lecture.
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