Your Own Two Hands, or Feet, or Whatever

Making something, anything, on your own is one of the best ways to reconnect with the world we live in. Art, cooking, t-shirts, and gardening are all things that we can do for ourselves. Running is another thing people do, to sense accomplishment and stay fit. Roger Bannister talks about running the same way a craftsman would relate his attraction to the process: “I suppose the appeal lies in its very simplicity, [running] needs no money, no equipment, and in a world of increasingly complex technology, it stands out as a naive statement about our nature.” Let’s all make more naive statements about our nature on a daily basis, that sounds fun. And it’s a way to inspire ourselves. Bannister continues, “A man could, with his own two feet, overcome all difficulties to reach a pinnacle upon which he could declare, ‘No one has ever done this before.'” Bannister was the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes. There are so many other things that have never been done. Tulips haven’t been painted in your style and leeks haven’t been cooked in your wok with your seasonings. So let’s embark on more firsts, even if they’re less heroic and flashy as Bannister’s four-minute mile.