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The Citizen, 1999-05-26, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 1999. PAGE 5. ^Arthur Black Baring our soles It's a treat to beat your feet in the Mississippi mud Old song lyric I’ll bet it is, too. I’ve never had the pleasure of walking barefoot along the shores of Tom’s and Huck’s old stomping - well, rafting - grounds, but I’ve had the sensual delight of watching and feeling gumbo ooze up between my toes in many another locale. It’s a poor man’s massage. The best fun you can have with most of your clothes on. A childish pleasure, you say? Perhaps it is. Now that I think of it, I haven’t walked barefoot in the mud for about a quarter of a century. But I believe I just might give it a try this summer. Because I’ve discovered the Dirty Sole Society. It’s a website, of course. A website devoted to folks who have rediscovered the simple pleasure of shucking shoes and socks and International Scene By Raymond Canon God shows up in strange places Some of my older readers may recall that back in the 1960s, there was a theological aberration called “The God is dead” movement. It didn’t enjoy a particularly long life but it formed part of the religious dogma being preached in some churches. In due course there appeared on the highways some early forms of graffiti which said, “God is Dead. Signed, Kilroy.” Kilroy, you may also remember, was in reference to a mythical person who showed up in any number of places and left his calling card “Kilroy was here!” At any rate, perhaps the God is Dead movement came to an end the day that people drove along the highways and came across yet another example of early graffiti. It said simply, “Kilroy is dead. Signed, God”. Well, the public writers are at it again! It is not just the signs that appear in front of churches. Last fall in Florida a series of “God speaks” signs started to appear, financed by an individual who did not wish his name to be made public but who believed that the United going around with their bare feet hanging out. Not just at the beach, you understand. These folks go shopping in their bare feet. They go dancing in their bare feet. They even hike and jog and climb mountains in their bare feet. A Calgarian barefooter by the name of Jay Winkler doesn’t even let Canadian winters slow him down. He says he particularly loves bare-hoofing along a high mountain trail around Emerald Lake, B.C. because it takes him across every kind of terrain from sun­ warmed grass to glacial ice. But isn’t that a little tough on the tootsies? Not after you’ve gone barefoot for a few months, apparently. The unshod human foot soon develops a ‘leathery’ sole that makes it impervious to just about everything this side of sharp glass. As one enthusiast puts it “Sure, I stub my toe and scratch my feet from time to time. I also scrape my knuckles, catch my thumb in the car door, cut myself peeling potatoes and bum my fingers lighting candles - but I don’t say to myself 'this would never have happened if only I'd been wearing gloves’.” They’re not fanatics about it. “I put on boots when I'm moving heavy or bulky objects,” says one. States had lots its sense of moral direction. The agency responsible for the advertising stated that the signs were meant to use a lighthearted approach to the task of getting more people to think about God sometime during the day. The concept of such advertising then spread to Texas where, since early in 1999 people in such places as Dallas have come across signs asking pointed questions as “What part of ‘Thou Shalt not’ didn’t you understand?” “Who’s the Father? Call 1-800-DNA-TYPE” and “You think it’s hot here?” So successful has this approach been, according to the sponsors, that billboard companies in the U.S have already agreed to donate millions of dollars of space. In addition the organizers have set a goal of 10,000 billboards in 200 areas by the end of this year. When that is reached, or even before, drivers in Europe, South America and Africa may be faced with snappy slogans to remind them of the Almighty. Maybe it will even do some good to those afflicted, even if temporarily, with road rage or to those whose dislike of another person’s driving leads to any number of obscene gestures. Even the influential English weekly, The Economist, has got into the act. This They regard shoes like hard hats and athletic supporters: a great idea when absolutely necessary. They wear shoes when there's a reason to. Otherwise they go au naturel from the ankles down. They’ve got a point when you think about it. The reason our feet are so tender is that we keep them covered up most of the time. That's also the reason they’re smelly. Bare feet don’t stink - just feet that have been cooped up in shoes too long. There’s a better reason for going barefoot: it feels good. It is, like the song says, a treat to beat your feet in the Mississippi mud. Also to feel pine needles, spring grass and beach sand against the bottom of your feet. Let the right wing whackos get their gotchies in a twist over the Right To Bear Arms. I’m more interested in my Right To Bare Feet. As a matter of fact, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing - stop. Right now. Reach down and pull those shoes off. Socks too. Ahhhhh. Doesn’t that feel grand? It’s just like they say about going barefoot: it’s good for the sole. publication, not known for its promotion of things spiritual, has for some time published a weekly one-page column describing some important person who has died since last week’s issue. Lo and behold, what did The Economist do this year? It featured the death of Jesus, giving a considerable amount of background information including such suggestions that He may have been bom earlier than believed but that there does not seem to be any doubt about His existence. In a century that includes such things as genocide, ethnic cleansing and the like, not to mention religious strife, perhaps such reminders are not out of place. Every attempt is being made to keep them non- denominational; no one group can then have grounds for feeling overlooked. As we know, even the failure to do that can touch off a storm. [ A Final Thought The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. Benjamin Disraeli Restrained change In the free-spirited 60s, moving with restraint through the unfettered moral atmosphere, a tight coil in plaid shirts amid the unloosed passion of tie-dyed flamboyance, he stood out. Down the hallowed halls of my alma mater, he walked, a loner in horn rims and oxfords, cowering against the walls. A leader in the chess and math clubs, he was seldom seen in the company of anyone while travelling in the academic general population. He was fair game for the jocks, the bullies. Tales of his time spent in lockers or with his head pushed into the toilet in the boy’s washroom were rampant. He was the brainiac, our school nerd. And today he’s Big-Wig of a multi-million dollar company. What made him strong enough to withstand the abuse, the unkindness, the solitude? Was it the love of family, guidance or his intelligence? That he suffered is likely, but it never broke him. Unlike those we hear of these days it was not an excuse for a homicidal rampage. For this reason I have to agree with an e- mail I received last week, that there are other outside influences pushing young people to these violent actions. However, written as it was by an ultra-conservative with deep-seated moral and religious views, her points on many areas are too black and white for my liking. To be honest, it angers me when people who espouse Christian values do so in a way that is so vehemently judgmental. Criticizing the permissive society, she blames primarily parents, with a little notation to Dr. Spock for today’s ills. Granted, she makes many valid points. In a perfect world children should be coming home to a parent. (She opts for mother, but I refuse to put us back that far.) However, her theory that keeping women pregnant is the answer raises my BP. Firstly, we do not need people having more children than they can afford. Secondly, if I could stay home I would. I do not work to maintain a lifestyle, I work because I must. Also, a stay-at-home mom is no greater guarantee for a healthy sane child than a working one. I knew of several when I was growing up who raised children with some serious issues. One girl had a problem with light fingers, another was pregnant at 15. Another point this woman raised was school uniforms and Sunday best. Her comment that many don’t dress neatly is accurate. But isn’t it more important that they enter the door, regardless of what they wear? I recall one woman at church who was always more interested in what people were wearing that day than in the sermon. She always looked great. Which fact makes her a better Christian? As I said the writer did make some valid arguments for change. She suggests teachers and parents be given back control. She believes children have been given too much and parents must start saying no. But change should never be extreme and needs to be done thoughtfully and slowly or, as we did before, we move too far the other direction. A permissive generation may chafe if the oppression gets heavy. May I remind, Luke Woodham of Pearl, Mississippi shot his mother and schoolmates, because his mother said no.