Do you take the same route to and from school or work every day? Do you rush through your walk because you find it old and boring? Are you impatient to reach your destination? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, then Michel de Certeau could be for you.
Since the city itself is stationary, it is the movement of people that defines it. As we walk through the city, our paths cross those of others and create an intangible fabric. If we go the same way every day, the threads of the fabric are reinforced and become more permanent.
De Certeau believes that we have to break away from this everyday reinforcement of our city's fabric. When you are walking somewhere routine, take a new path. Make a turn instead of crossing the street. Go in the opposite direction and see where you find yourself. This enables us to see the city from a new perspective, and discover things we didn't know we were missing. Things that were so close all along, but we were so focused on reaching our destination that we couldn't see them.
This idea goes back to philosopher Guy Debord's idea of altering our everyday life in order to change our perspective and realize potential in what is seen as the mundane. When we take a new route to class, we alter our everyday. This allows us to see the beauty in our surroundings, and the beauty in our everyday.
If you are looking to learn more, read de Certeau's chapter on walking in the city from his book "The Practice of Everyday Life." Although it was written in almost 30 years ago, the primary principles are not out of date.
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