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Inspiration can be elusive, especially when you’re stuck. You search and search, drink coffee, take a nap, but it remains out of reach. Then, tired and exhausted, you go for a walk. And bam! Inspiration strikes.
There’s something about walking that untangles the threads of your brain.
Solvitur ambulando is a Latin phrase meaning “it is solved by walking”.
Focused and diffuse thinking are partners in problem-solving. Focused thinking, like a microscope, dives deep into specific issues. Diffuse thinking, like a wide-angle lens, captures broad details and lets your mind roam freely.
Walking enables diffuse thinking. As you walk, you contemplate, weighing each thought, determining what’s essential and what’s not.
Walking allows for seclusion and solitude, both crucial for our mind. They help press pause on the incessant motion of daily life. Like a bird pecking and then pausing to scan the horizon for predators, walks allow you to pause and scan your mental horizon.
I take time to go for long walks on the beach so that I can listen to what is going on inside my head. If my work isn’t going well, I lie down in the middle of a workday and gaze at the ceiling while I listen and visualize what goes on in my imagination.
Albert Einstein
But, solvitur ambulando is often misquoted by philosophers, poets, and essayists. The true meaning is that problems can be resolved through practical action rather than impractical theories 1This is detailed in this electronic version of the journal Victorian Poetry.
As the story goes, Diogenes, a prominent figure in the Cynic school of philosophy, was listening to Zeno explain his paradox arguing that motion is impossible because it involves an infinite number of steps. Diogenes simply got up, walked away, and muttered solvitur ambulando, proving motion is possible.
As far as clap backs go, Zeno got smacked with the hardest one in Greece.
People now use solvitur ambulando to suggest solving problems through direct action instead of abstract reasoning. Developing a bias for action instead of trying to theoretically prove yourself.
Whether it’s a physical walk or a metaphorical one, walking helps you think clearly. When inspiration evades you, the simplest steps can untangle the toughest knots.
Footnotes:
- 1This is detailed in this electronic version of the journal Victorian Poetry.
