So I thought I might turn to a European, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, you
know, the solitary walker - for a bit of reassurance. This is the man who said, “Never did I
think so much, exist so much, be myself so much as in the journeys I have made
alone and on foot. Walking has something about it which animates and enlivens my
ideas. I can hardly think while I am still; my body must be in motion to move
my mind."
All of which sounds right on the money. But reassurance is not to be found. Look at what Rousseau said in The Social Contract, “The
people of England regards itself as free; but it is grossly mistaken; it is
free only during the election of members of parliament. As soon as they are
elected, slavery overtakes it, and it is nothing.”