A Neighbourhood Walk-Escape From the Virtual

“To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing.”
— Oscar Wilde

Living, real or virtual, is a complex option for many of us. In many ways life is overwhelming and we often flit between real and virtual depending on our need for escapism. Technology usurped our lives, but has also given us the choice to change our visceral reality and escape where we can immerse ourselves in the virtual world. It’s no surprise that the metaverse has become so appealing.

Therefore, it was with slight trepidation that I planned a physical walk in my neighbourhood; to drag myself away from my digitally consuming, sedentary, couch potato lifestyle, where with a few clicks on my keyboard I could witness life anywhere in the world. With the vast array of digital content in graphic clarity, one can be transported to wherever one wants to be. So, in this day and age, it was a tough call to take to walk around the neighbourhood when Google Earth could provide a perfect 360 degree view, or YouTube could show a stunning visual perspective.

Nonetheless against all digital logic I decided to take a neighbourhood walk. And what a sensory smorgasbord it was.

True to the words from Oscar Wilde: “To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing.” Intentionally walking in my neighbourhood gave a fresh perspective on what was often just a blur when driving past. It was like being immersed in 3D realist art where the walk became a living breathing canvas, not only alive with sounds, textures, colours, shapes and smells, all competing for sensory attention, but also my own inner reflections on what I saw.

The neighbourhood walk made me alive to the moment, evoking different sensations, and prompted new imaginary dialogues – What lurked behind the high walls topped with electric fencing? What thoughts are hidden behind the penetrating eyes and furtive glances? What creative minds shaped the many dwellings; chose the colour schemes?

But the neighbourhood walk also had a more profound effect. It prompted existentially deeper reflection. It evoked memories of my past and took me back to a time when streets were for children to play in, where neighbours exchanged gossip across low fences, and where joy and sorrow was a community experience and shared in solidarity by everyone.

And for a fleeting moment, I paused to reflect on how my walk, its forward momentum and the memories it evoked was also an indication of the passing of time; the transient nature of life. Each step took me further along into the future, away from the past.

Maybe the walk in my neighbourhood was much more than a physical walk, but an ontological one; an awareness of my own life’s journey.