Why they walked barefoot on the beach

My trip to the beach was in April, when the shore wind carrying the chill of early spring had me all bundled up. The scene I encountered there was an odd one, perhaps even touching, of people in their late fifties or older walking barefoot on the mudflat part of the beach. How can this be? At their age! In this kind of weather! I immediately fell into deep self-reflection. When was the last time I ventured barefoot onto mud and sand to feel the waves? Was I so used to the ho-hum of my existence that I never (literally) set foot outside my comfort zone? Several months after the trip, I realized that the place I visited was a famous earthing spot. So it wasn't an adventurous spirit inspired by nature that made the people go barefoot; it was concern for their health.

During the summer, I noticed something strange in the air around my neighborhood. A banner hung at the park informed me that a dirt path was in the works. Soon, the wooden decking on the path was removed and replaced by palm-fiber woven mats, much to my dismay (as someone who loathes strenuous inclines, I love wooden decks that reassure me I’m on flat terrain). The newly installed faucet was too low for me to wash my hands unless I squat down. Unclaimed shoes strewn along the walking path became a common sight. The banner explained a great deal about these changes. That they were meant for the residents to enjoy earthing. And why I, fully clad in shoes, received so many stares on the path as if I were barging into someone’s bedroom with dirty shoes on.

Why do people walk barefoot? According to ardent earthing practitioners, the body absorbs positive, healing energy from mother earth. Misaligned spinal columns straighten up and bones heal. Insomnia and aches that afflict the body dissipate. Soaring blood pressures and glucose levels return to normal. Cancer cells disappear! Maybe you can even walk on water? Even if you can’t, a beach, where earth and water energies meld, is an ideal place for grounding work. After taking the trouble to reach a shore, you’d be a fool to don shoes.

It’s hard enough for me to keep pace with the ever-evolving trends of young people, but I’m finding that the trends of the older generations are just as dizzying. I remember when 108-bows were all the rage. When you bow 108 times just as Buddhist monks do at a temple, crooked spines straighten up and … cancer cells disappear! More recently, nording walking was popular, with group lessons popping up at parks. A diet where drinking water is not allowed while consuming food also comes to mind. From time to time, Koreans become completely immersed in various health trends. While everyone else gets swept up by these changing tides, I, feeble bodied and muscle-deprived, often get swept aside.

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Translator: Culture Flipper English Team
Original Content in Korean: cultureflipper.com/blog/why-they-walked-barefoot-on-the-beach-ko
Japanese Translation: cultureflipper.com/blog/why-they-walked-barefoot-on-the-beach-ja