My FiveFingers

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Five Fingers Of Happiness

by Tyler Hurst » on Apr 30, 2011 0

As I patiently wait for new Smart Wool Classics and taupe/putty Sprints to arrive at my door and replace my well-worn previous pairs, I had a realization. A realization about why my life has turned out this way, what contributed to it and the bigger reason I love my FiveFingers.

Namaste

Minimalist running makes me happy. Yes, it actually contributes to my happiness. More so than running, basketball or any other sport ever did. My stress level, body fat percentage, resting heart rate and laziness have all shrunk since I became a FiveFinger guy. I can feel the difference in nearly everything I do, and have started to notice that I’m not the only one.

Kumbaya

Have you ever met an angry minimalist? Ever heard someone say “man, I’m so upset with myself for giving away material goods I don’t use and removing barriers so I can better connect with the world around me”? Like PC users who switch to Macs, we seldom lose converts.

Peace be with you

The reasoning is simple: we want to connect. People, and I mean all people, are inherently tactile and social. We want to be able to feel heat on our skin, roughness on our feet, emotions in our hearts and great ideas in our minds. Our parents managed to build a world designed to separate and isolate us. They’ve given us shoes with cushioned soles, homes in the middle of nowhere and cities that are less than human friendly.

Live long and prosper

This worked for about a century, and what a glorious century it was. Advances in technology, war, food and communication have allowed us to separate ourselves in our own enclaves, “free” from the sensations of modern life. But these very advances are what we are constantly running from. We are prisoners in jails of our own making.

May the Force be with you.

I’ve never seen a movie where advanced technology and remote living contributed to a happy economy. Battlestar Galactica, Terminator and any other futuristic movie centered around the notion that true happiness means being close to others and the environment in which we live.

Minimalist running and living is one step in the right direction. For me, it’s become a rallying cry to everyone I can influence to drop our barriers and live more openly. Live with less and do more.

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