Movement, autonomy and pain
I should call myself a phenomenological ethnographer, as most of my writings seem to start from subjective observational qualities. The qualia of back pain sets the tone today of a text where I want to talk about autonomy. I talked in an earlier post about the concept of freedom in philosophy as being, in some traditions, opposed to the idea of free choice.
Autonomy is another concept. Philosophically tainted by discussions of ethics, it begs the question of whether rules of behavior were set internally by ourselves or externally; in this case, we would talk of its opposite, which is heteronomy.
Well, this level of abstraction can erode philosophy from its or any usefulness. The wrong or even harmful use of abstractedness is known in the history of Western thought too, as sophistry, and as the historic irony it is: criticized as the opposite of philosophy and yet frequently used by its most known representative, Socrates.
Another good reason to get back to our more concrete reflexion. As with most activities, we can analyze it and visualize it as a metaphor. This happens with skateboarding so often it is almost commonplace. As it is play and sport, I have not yet heard of another sport being used as an image of growth and the lessons on resilience, especially against the barriers and falls of life. More importantly, as the activity takes place outside formal institutionalized contexts where we normally sacrifice parts of our independence like work, the skateboard can by itself deconstruct its own myths. If it fosters resilience or not will not matter as much as this one grind, just the movement, just the fun. So, as a non-institutionalized activity, it rebels against the sport, as the official sport rebels against hindrances and blockades.
So, why should I bother to make another boring comparison and metaphor. No metaphor needed.
This text shows. One early discussion in Western thought is the question of matter or idea. Independently from the fact this discussion made sense in structures of a worldview with substances and psychomorphic cause and effect, this dichotomy translated into the world of activity and social structures as a question about mind, knowledge as opposed to purely organic subsistence and power: which were the motors of societal change. Stay with me, please. The question whether nature is superseded in humankind by the figments of mind, thought and language recurs in fields of thought about society as a question of what drives the historical process: the need for subsistence of an organism organized by the medium of power as the ability to externalize into the objective world subjective needs and wants, or the growth of knowledge and changes in consciousness driving the need for technological innovation which itself changes societal relations; this is a prevailing thought, and with advances in our knowledge we are now better advised to search in the atom of actions the seed of humans’ transformation.
Action is developed by infants very early and in stages: walking, standing up, grabbing, pushing or pulling set the groundwork for later improvements. The important thing is that with each motoric learning moment a newer degree of autonomy unfolds and the subjects realize it as a gain. Yes, autonomy. As a species we are condemned to act independently from instinct, giving room to a huge dimension of possibilities, and the senso-motoric building processes of behaviour now unfolded a newer form of independence from the others who functioned as safety providers, helping the infant to survive.
Now, when we realize it was not hunger, or lust for power, or Schopenhauer’s unending Will, but it was the fun we had each time acting was a success that helped shape the subjects’ development. The direction of this building process of autonomy seems at least to form a concise narrative: We all start from very little competence and develop capacities with time. Some we develop more with training, others by simply happening often. Others we do not develop at all, either because they never happened to be relevant in one’s life, or the environment did not allow for them; it is an activity reserved for other social classes; money was not enough. We see here that reasons are plenty, and depending on worldview some competences will be deemed as desirable for every child to at least get a chance to develop them. And we know chances are unequal. There are some really hard obstacles there in this world.
In this context, skateboarding, be it the sport or the play, recreates in another context the same structure of universal development. We all start from the cultural null position, from great incompetence to the first tricks. With every competence, so does the room for maneuver literally increase. We see this represented in the social distribution of our movements in the skatepark. No wonder then the even greater skateboarders gain an aura of heroes, as their space is wider, it’s over the stairs, on street benches or rails. They made it to greater skateboarding autonomy. No external obstacle, nothing exterior is setting the rules. Well, maybe just a couple of natural constants like gravity. But otherwise, the rules of what is possible, doable or not, are set by the skaters themselves. And this sublimation of autonomy inside the playful context of skateboarding runs as a dna thread through all levels of this sport.
Myself, I recently left the so-called baby quarter, and with some motivational speeches and fostering from the competent other whom I call Sensei, I could then finally build a line, using more of the space in the park. A spatial metaphor for my development you can watch on the reel below. Thus, backpain gain in this context another meaning. It feels like reality calling for a battle. It rages revenge as I near my 40th year in this world, an attack on autonomy. But this is where it gets cheesy. We just don’t give up. We learn how to deal with it, maybe pause for a bit, and train other muscles. And then we continue. The Sensei, a good homie as he is, frequently calling and reminding me of how much I can do if I put my soul into it, and just “commit”, wouldn’t think of giving up. “Show up,” he said recently, “and chill.” That is ok too.
Brief summary of characters:
As I delve into these skateboarding and surfskate stories, I find myself walking a fine line between revealing too much and protecting the identities of those involved — especially minors or individuals who prefer to remain out of the public eye. Allow me, my imaginary reader, to introduce you to the key characters in this thrilling narrative:
- Senpais: These are the seasoned skaters, the ones who’ve mastered the art of gliding across concrete waves. I’ve affectionately dubbed them “Senpais.” When multiple Senpais appear in a story, I’ll distinguish them as Senpai1, Senpai2, and so forth.
- Sensei: Picture a skater with skills that transcend the ordinary. This individual isn’t just a Senpai; they’re a Sensei. Their wisdom, advice, and teachings elevate the entire skating experience. They’re the ones who can turn a simple kickturn into poetry in motion.
- Senpai-Sensei: Now, this character is a delightful blend of both Senpai and Sensei. They possess the skills of a seasoned skater but also offer valuable guidance to others. Think of them as the bridge between experience and mentorship. Remember, these characters aren’t just names — they’re the heartbeat of my skateboarding experiences. As we ride through twists, turns, and gravity-defying tricks, keep an eye out for their distinctive styles and personalities. These are real people.