A Morning on the Schuylkill River Trail
There’s something magical about early fall mornings. I’m out here on the Schuylkill River Trail, feeling the crisp breeze and watching the city wake up. As I march with my 40-pound plate carrier, I feel alive. There’s a biker passing behind me—people are already moving, pushing themselves forward. I think fall might be my favorite season. The mix of a cool morning followed by warm afternoons from the sun, it’s the perfect balance.
I’m embracing the change of seasons with a sense of eagerness for the day ahead. It’s a blessing to start the day early, to push myself with weight training and marching in my barefoot shoes. I find myself constantly yearning for life, for motion, for the sunrise after every sunset. There’s no stopping—only moving forward.
Freedom and Movement
We often talk about freedom as having choices, the ability to go left or right, but I’ve realized something: when you’re on the Schuylkill River Trail, there’s no left or right—there’s only forward. Life’s like that, isn’t it? There’s no real option but to keep pushing on, moving forward. This trail, with the cliffs behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, elevates my view of life every morning. It fuels my curiosity and my hunger for happiness.
Success isn’t found in material things or external validation. For me, success is waking up eager to march, to push, to strive. If you had to live the same day on repeat, could you still thrive in it? I think I could. That’s where the myth of Sisyphus comes in.
The Myth of Sisyphus and the Human Condition
Sisyphus was condemned to push a rock uphill for eternity, only for it to roll back down every time. But here’s the thing: Sisyphus learned to affirm his destiny. Maybe we are all like Sisyphus—pushing our own rocks uphill, physically toiling without an end in sight. Life can feel like suffering, but if we can embrace that suffering, it becomes something more than just pain.
We all face inevitable suffering—aging, sickness, death. Our bodies are bound by gravity, and we’re fragile creatures of flesh. But maybe that’s exactly what connects us as humans. If life is suffering, why not affirm it and make it the greatest performance ever? Why not sing, dance, and turn that suffering into something beautiful?
Pain and Overcoming
Pain is an essential part of the human condition. Think about walking barefoot. After a long day, there’s a bit of pain. But it’s that pain that makes you stronger the next day. It’s the self-overcoming through physical training that gives life deeper meaning. The more I push myself physically, the happier I become. Pain and pleasure, in a way, are interconnected.
This reminds me of my time in Zambia as a Peace Corps volunteer. I watched boys playing soccer barefoot every day, while I could barely manage a single game without blistering my feet. They had such strength because they were used to it. They only had one pair of shoes for school, so they played barefoot. Their resilience taught me the value of discipline and embracing physical challenges.
The Privilege of Simplicity
Walking barefoot, for me, is like living in a simulated state of poverty. It’s a practice in discipline and a reminder of the simple privileges we take for granted. Shoes, clean water—things we barely think about here in the U.S. are daily struggles in other parts of the world. In Zambia, fetching water was a daily task that involved carrying buckets on my head and boiling it to make it safe to drink. Here, we turn on a tap and have clean water instantly.
It’s humbling to recognize these privileges, and it makes me grateful for the freedoms we have here in America. Despite its flaws, I truly believe the United States is the greatest place in the world.
Economic Realities for My Generation
But even in this great country, my generation faces new challenges. At 28, I’m part of Generation Z, and we don’t have the same opportunities as those who came before us. We have luxuries and amenities, but owning property, saving for the future, or even affording basic necessities is harder than ever. Single-family homes are out of reach for many, and we find ourselves enslaved to debt just to afford a place to live.
Wages don’t match the rising cost of living, and the ability to save for the future is slipping away. This is why people turn to hedonistic pleasures—trips, consumer goods, alcohol, drugs—because if you can’t save for tomorrow, why not indulge in today? If the dollar depreciates over time, why not spend it now?
The Depreciation of Currency
This brings me to money itself. When I cash a check, the numbers that appear in my account are just that—numbers. Banks lend out money they don’t have, inflating the money supply, which in turn depreciates the value of the dollar. Holding money in a bank account means watching its value slowly decrease as inflation eats away at it. It’s a vicious cycle.
I think back to ancient Athens, when they diluted their gold coins with copper to cover their debts. The increase in the money supply devalued their currency, contributing to the fall of their civilization. Is our society on a similar path? If people realize they’ll never reach the peak of financial security, will they stop pushing the rock altogether?
Affirming Life’s Suffering
Maybe the answer isn’t in material success or financial security. Maybe the solution is to affirm the suffering inherent in life. To love the struggle, to embrace the darkness as we yearn for the sunrise. Life is about more than worldly success. It’s about finding contentment in yourself, in your soul, and in your ability to wake up eager for the day.
If life really is suffering and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, why not bask in the darkness, affirming the journey itself? This is what I strive for every day—living not for some external goal, but for the pure joy of the experience itself.
Final Thoughts
As I march forward each morning along the Schuylkill River Trail, I carry the weight of my thoughts and the weight on my back. I find joy in the simplicity of the movement, in the inevitability of the struggle, and in the connection I feel to the world around me. There’s no greater success than waking up eager for the day, yearning for the sunrise, and affirming life with all its pain, joy, and suffering.