WALK TOGETHER – SLEEP ALONE (26-Feb-2021)

Walk and the world walks with you; sleep and you sleep alone.

Somnambulism or sleepwalking is a sleep disorder and mandates medical evaluation.  It integrates the sleeping and walking activities into one thread.  Time to celebrate walking and sleeping as two distinct streams of activities.

Man is a social animal termed the great philosopher Aristotle.  During the waking state, man when into the act of walking aspires to be in the company of fellow walkers to build a conversation.  One may concur to have healthy discussion on a multitude of topics or lose the plot to gravitate into an argumentative mode at decibel levels scorned by neighbours and fellow walkers.

In the other (non)activity - an afternoon siesta, or the retirement at the end-of-day, termed sleep where one further slip into a dream state, gets rid of all entanglements to slip into a deep slumber.  Peaceful for the one asleep or soundful with accompanied roars for the partner (sometimes even the neighbour), only others can vouch.  Once one falls asleep, he is alone in this world with not even an iota of a sense of presence or absence about oneself, leave alone others.

Our country had Mahatma Gandhi who walked till it hurt the others who followed him.  Be it the Salt Satyagraha or other protest marches the frames captured his feet with a stick to depict his fast-paced movement.  Baba Amte a renowned social worker walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir - K2K, to inspire the citizens to unite as One India.  Walking is symbolic of discipline, endurance, community togetherness, and as an initiative to create social awareness to inspire people to embrace an overarching cause. 

On the other hand, Kumbhakarna - a mythological character, a giant from the epic Ramayana, is believed to have slept for six months in a year, while during the balance period stayed perpetually hungry and devoured any food or living organism in sight.  The modern-day coinage being ‘sleepy head’ or ‘glutton!’

Research suggests five times a week and thirty minutes a day as an optimal walk regimen; these days a doctors’ recommendation too.  It helps keep many diseases at bay; intensity derived and dependant on one’s age.

Research suggests that sleep as a regimen is for a good eight (8) hours during adult years to rejuvenate cells, strengthen the body, and energize the mind.  It provides a strong fillip for perfect harmony in the body-mind-soul paradigm, a conduit to wellness and happiness.  Brain toxins are removed twice as faster when asleep compared to when awake.  A sleep deficit though results in a state of unhappiness and irksome mental state.  Lack of good quality sleep takes an ominous shape of a public health issue.

Man, in all chatter mood when walking in the company of others is totally unaware of any existence around.  Sleep too makes one unaware of any existence with cessation of ongoing chatter and helps the mind to lapse into inactivity.  Do you recognize the similarities the two have on humans making them unaware?

Both these activities perfectly complement each other.  Sleep a vital activity for the body-mind to rest so one can be in good health to be able to walk.  While all the walk helps the physical body to stay in perfect shape and expend energy to induce and enhance a good sleep.  This translates to a state of nirvana.

In homo sapiens, the two activities in good synchronization is best exemplified in a mutually exclusive manner to reap the fullest benefits.  Would it not be better to celebrate the two as distinct ones?