Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2019 September 11

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September 11

A monk's footsteps

On p. 91 of Michel Benoît's (no article) novel The Thirteenth Apostle I read this:

• A monk's footsteps can be recognised from those of a thousand others: he never attacks the ground with his heel, but slides his foot forward and seems to be walking on a cushion of air.

This has the ring of truth to me. It's unlikely to be something a novelist would just make up, because if it were not true, it would attract negative criticism. But most germanely, the author was a monk himself for 20 years and would know whereof he speaks. But it's proven difficult to research or confirm. I get lots of ghits about people doing pilgrimages "in the footsteps of the monks" etc. And apparently Monks is a brand of shoes. Where can one read more about this practice? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 09:15, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

It appears to be a common phenomenon among all people who normally walk barefoot, not just monks. The article on barefoot mentions it in the subsection "Health implications" and links to the article You Walk Wrong by Adam Sternbergh. (Though monks aren't mentioned there). ---Sluzzelin talk 09:31, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

And the section "Hiking" says "People of all ages all over the world can participate in barefoot hiking, gathering for walks through forest and hiking trails sans footwear. Barefoot hikers claim that they feel a sense of communion with the earth and enjoy the sheer pleasure of feeling more of the world with their feet." Bus stop (talk) 09:48, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

Getting stung or bitten on the soles of the feet will certainly make one feel closer to nature. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:15, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

I just realized that Jack didn't mention barefoot, and of course not all monks walk barefoot (see the article on discalced). If this is indeed just supposed to be a "monk" thing, irrespective of footwear, then I have no answer. ---Sluzzelin talk 09:54, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

I walk like that quite consciously, sometimes, to reduce the impact of the heel on the ground (that is, of the ground ON the heel and up, because, reaction). The impact is more of a problem when being barefoot, or wearing bad footwear like primitive sandals (which protect the skin, but let you feel the shock), the kind of thing a monk does wear. Gem fr (talk) 10:22, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

I accept the ability of the former monk to comment knowledgeably about something they were immersed in for 20 years but I nevertheless take issue with the notion that "It's unlikely to be something a novelist would just make up, because if it were not true, it would attract negative criticism." Testing the limits of credibility is not something a novelist would not do. Bus stop (talk) 12:50, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

According to a YouTube video I watched a few years ago, one of a series about ordinary life in Mediaeval Europe made by a re-enactor (sorry I can't now find a link to it), most people in that period, particularly peasants, wore soft-soled footware and consequently walked in the manner described above. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.202.210.107 (talk) 17:07, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

Back then, many peasants were barefoot, both because they were dirt poor and because shoes were very expensive, requiring many man-days to be hand-made by a leather tanner and cobbler (and a spinner for the thread, and maybe a blacksmith for nails). SinisterLefty (talk) 20:06, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

Back then, many would have worn clogs. They (dutch style at least) are made of 100% willow or poplar wood, which was very cheap (because fast-growing on the same types of soil that are good for farming). Dutch wiki claims that an experienced clogmaker can make a pair in an hour using simple tools, so they would have been affordable. PiusImpavidus (talk) 08:45, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

This image shows a monk wearing sandals, but the dancing nun is barefoot. In this picture, Jesus is barefoot, but the monk has some nice shoes. St, Benedict and his chums appear to be wearing shoes, but it's hard to tell exactly. Alansplodge (talk) 17:24, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

Railway construction in Japan

Does the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency carry out any of its own works or do they contract everything out to external contractors? Clover345 (talk) 11:02, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

Not sure what you mean by "carry out any of its own works". What they contract out is not their "own work", is it? The agency also has a mission to control several subsidiaries and has a workforce of 職員1,595名: this is enough for the decision making, planning, financing, engineering, controlling etc., but leave few to actually build lines, if this is what you mean; besides, AFAIK the Japanese agencies practice is to contract out. Gem fr (talk) 12:31, 11 September 2019 (UTC)