October 24th, 2009 by Jeremy

Today, for the second time in my fifteen years of driving, I put air in my tires. I get into my vehicle, engage the engine and tap the accelerator; noticing straightaway the effect that just this one detail had on the driving experience of my car… it felt lightweight, responsive and tolerable in tighter turns. As I drove home, I realized that my car had felt years younger and pounds lighter. Driving the short distance back to my apartment felt enjoyable in such a way that I haven’t felt since I lost my Celica nearly four years ago. And then I realized something-

Back when I lived in Milwaukee Wisconsin, I attended classes at Futen Dojo, a Jujutsu training facility. One of the things that they teach there is that every part of the body must work in harmony to achieve the desired task- be it punching, blocking, walking and even breathing. The Japanese realized that the Earth was the originator of energy and all things acting upon it must draw energy from it to operate effectively, or true to Nature. Right above the Earth on which you stand is your feet, those little-thought-of appendages at the end of your legs. All the energy your body accepts from the Earth is absorbed and facilitated by your feet. Where they point and how they move determines the direction of the energy any other part of your body intends to project or utilize.

I’m thinking about positional health- like meditation or feng shui – and social interaction. Could it be that your feet play more of an essential role in Life other than the transportation of self, besides visual or sexual appeal? What if, during all activities, your feet are directly involved with the level of success into which tasks you have endeavored. I want to look more into this.

Onward.

I admit, I did not drive straight home. I had to drive to Kroger to get some things before I arrived at home. As I was taking one of the final turns to end my journey, I imagined my perfect life in an instant. It was the kind of thoughts I imagine one having within the final moments of life; thoughts which would be accompanied with either regret or remembrance. I imagined myself kneeling next to my curious daughter, pointing at the tire before I filled it and explaining how the task of filling one’s air worked. It was autumn. The leaves were red fading into orange or green turning yellow, and were falling from the trees. A breeze was present; cooling but comfortable enough to wear a shirt bearing the consistency of flannel. Her light brown hair, anchored by a light-purple knit hat, moved in the gently blowing wind. Her hands were crossed before her small, childish frame and her dark brown eyes were genuinely attentive to my teachings. The situation was simple enough to be full and perfect. My life felt the same in that very instant.

I completed the turn and hopped over the second to last set of ’speed bumps’ I would encounter before my car was parked. By the time I passed the mail boxes to my right, I did feel the sting of regret, but not over something long passed. My daughter doesn’t exist, yet I worry for her. Her arrival into this world- this complicated place that is seemingly pursuing the erasure of happy, simple moments- will mean her exposure to things which I have come to abhor with all of my heart.

Her trials by fire will begin only weeks after her birth, facing vaccinations and other risks that were not even implemented during my indoctrination as a child. The school system will rob her of an education of which she can be proud. Society will require her to carry a cell phone when I was carrying marbles and paper airplanes. The kids with whom she will become acquainted will be more interested in television, a government moderated internet and music which does little to promote creativity and self worth. She will be taught that her mother and I are potential enemies of the state, and that she should watch out for activities that create ‘potential hazards for the environment’, which we might unknowingly condone, and report those activities to the authorities. As she comes of age, she will be required to serve three months to a year in the military. If left to the standardized systems that our government wants for our children, she will be raised to be a medicated, subservient drone- if she is not struck down early in life with autism or some other neurological disease.

It is for her that I stand as a true patriot to this nation, who pledges allegiance to its founding fathers and libertarians like Martin Luther King Jr., Ayn Rand, Ron Paul and other liberty-minded patriots, alive or dead. I pledge allegiance to the cause for which these people have stood, that all people should have equal rights and liberty in their pursuits toward personal happiness. I pledge that, as long as I live, I will protect her and my family, and my personal morals, at all costs; for no one has the right to destroy what I truly possess. I damn any person or force that intends to rob me of my birthrights- which include the opportunity to own a business, have a family, retain moral convictions and live to the fullest of my abilities. As I treasure and respect life, in all its acts, above all things, I swear upon my own that I will do what it takes to fulfill my purpose as well as protect those around me as they fulfill theirs.

Done for now. Back to work.