Tom Robbins talks in his book "Still Life with Woodpecker" about the spirit of the outlaw. An outlaw is not simply one who lives outside the law, most bankers and cops certainly do that. Outlaws cannot be victimized by the spirit of the law, for they are truly free.
In this vein, I would like to propose that one of the most earnest hallmarks of the outlaw is their true desire to be removed from the comforts of modern man, existing closer to the elements. What better way to do this than to literally be in contact with the ground! The earth! That magical wellspring from which all life blossoms. Why would you ever remove yourself from it?
I, dear reader, am a desert boy, and I cannot think of something more beautiful than my bare toes wriggling in the sand on a plateau at sunset.
If anything, shoes separate us from being caged and liberated. The most free people I know get to be barefoot or close to it most of the day, while the ones who work and work and work (both for money and not) have convinced themselves that they love socks and shoes, and must continue to wear them even when not mandated by their employer.
This brings me to one of the most damaging trends I have seen in the modern youth, speaking as a member of the modern youth. The new vitriolic hate of toes, of feet, of the liberation of the tools which we use to plant ourselves to the Earth. This must speak to some revival of the Protestant hate of nature. We are becoming overcivilized, amusing ourselves to death, all while moving further and further away from the literal grounding force in our lives.
What does it say when today's youth scream with disgust and fear when I take my socks off at a function. What does it say about society? The total malice and contempt with which one of our most very important limbs are treated is absurd, and must be rectified with haste and joy.
Take your socks off.
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