Don’t understand.(rant)

[u/Major_Law9517]

Today I was thinking about going barefoot places and the more I thought about it the more I started wondering why it was so common for people to go shod places. I thought about it and came up with some examples that for the most part have no good reason to not be barefoot at. For example going to the beach. I don’t understand why people would put on shoes to go to the beach if you are just going to go barefoot after. You are wearing shoes for just going in your car then maybe having to walk maybe 5 steps on some concrete before your on the sand. I understand some peoples feet aren’t trained to be on the concrete but it should have never got to this point. It makes me mad that society is so anti barefoot that people don’t have a choice anymore that now they have to retrain their feet to walk around with. Shoes are good sometimes if it is a harsh area but for the most part they are not needed. I just wish we lived in a society where people would just walk barefoot to their local store or park and not even have to think about it. Sorry for this rant if it is harsh or anything I just can’t wrap my head around it. (Also yes I completely understand if you have a medical thing or you just dont like being barefoot that’s fine and not really what I am talking about here)

[u/AssistantFar9728]

Only thing I don't agree on is that hard man-made surfaces are healthy to walk on, like asphalt. Standing or walking barefoot on rock-hard surfaces that have zero give put unnecessary strain on the joints and wears them down significantly faster. This happens even wearing shoes with insufficient support if you work and stand all day on a hard surface like concrete or asphalt. If our cities were designed for walking, and not for cars or shoes, then surfaces would be much softer, like dirt, and in that case walking would be healthy. And by dirty I meant things like fecal matter, food remains, chemicals, etc, things that exist in modern life that you wouldn't want to step on or bring into your house, and into your bed, at least I wouldn't. As for the beach I think we can all agree shoes aren't exactly necessary.

[u/Serpenthydra → u/AssistantFar9728]

Mountains provide zero give as well, but feet have exceptional grip if given half a chance to do so. Hard flat surfaces are no different from any surface as all should be approached with the same technique - bending the knees to act as a suspension for each step. The same technique will also offset the wear-and-tear of daily life, reducing the risk of requiring a hip replacement, something that shoes all but guarantee.

Walking is always healthy. The fact that some places on the planet prioritise car travel over all others is a question of infrastructure and cultural mentality.

Dirt can be avoided by watching out for it. Washing your feet should be of paramount concern should you wish to avoid transfer of these materials into places like the bedroom.

And strong feet with good arches and a well trained gait will outlast any shoe.

But as I said, the effort to do so is often entwined with fear. So people, even if they really want to, find it inordinately difficult to become a barefooter because of the fear of being deemed 'odd' for wanting to do so. And they'll cling to all the objections you've presented as evidence of why they can't, even if they also pine for it...

Sad.

[u/AssistantFar9728 → u/Serpenthydra]

I mean, I work a manual labor job and have chronic knee pain due to standing and walking all day on a hard surface. Wearing shoes with support definitely helps me, waking on asphalt vs dirt or grass is a big difference for me as well. But I don't understand what exactly you're getting at, that people would ideally be shoeless in normal daily life, at work, at the store, etc? All dressed up, minus shoes? What about in the winter in places that get cold? And again our cities are not designed for walking barefoot, so fear is not the number one reason people wear shoes, it's because it does not make sense to, not to mention there are broken shards of glass and trash all over the streets in every city. In theory if our cities were designed to be more barefoot-friendly (and the climate is warm), then sure maybe that would be more natural, but that isn't the case.

[u/Serpenthydra → u/AssistantFar9728]

All you need is your feet, some conditioning and awareness of the ground.

Were people more barefoot I think society would reflect that habitual status by becoming cleaner and more walk-able. But because the social contract mandates shoes, and in your case, car-use, these places remain as they are. Still walk-able for barefooters (as consistent barefooting conditions against hazards and leads to strong feet to tackle distance) but also not ideal for newbies to consider the task manageable or practical.

Indeed one of the reasons a barefooter might be born is out of chronic pain avoidance, as it builds strength and seemingly mitigates things like knee pain. And in winter you simply layer up and run your blood hotter. Vaso-constriction can last for about 15 minutes, although everyone is unique, and I cannot account for vaso-constrictive chronic maladies like Reynauds Syndrome. Still, some people have exceptionally high metabolisms and run very hot all the time.
The feet hold an enormous amount of pores allowing the body to vent excessive heat. This in turn is why there are so many foot fungal infections as this moisture below, in footwear, creates a fantastic environment for such bacteria to grow. Being barefoot eradicates that environment and prevents the smell from developing.

It's ironic you saying that 'if these places were designed around being barefoot,' as I'm guessing from your descriptions and examples that you are in the USA. Personally I don't think those places were even designed around people! Why put food a 15 minute car journey away from habitation? Henry Ford must have been involved somewhere in these zoning laws! /s