My parents were less excited than my sister when I gave her a sock at her graduate school hooding ceremony. My sister understood the allusion and exclaimed, "Master has given me a sock! I am free!" Aside from the reference to the world of Rowling, I find that socks mean much more, both in a practical as well as a philosophical way. Socks play a pivotal role in modern society because they hold a special position in many of our activities. This seems coincidental with modern technological and economical advances now that people can clad themselves in what was once reserved only for the rich. Plus, socks help us play, something that frees us from worry, frees us to be a kid, and frees our minds in times of seriousness so we can truly enjoy life.
Socks are a hallmark of convenience and civilization. In times of antiquity, people went barefoot. It is actually relatively recent that hosiery reached beyond the wealthy or the gentry to the rest of the population. Our advances in technology accompanied the progress of hosiery into common use. Even in the civil war, many soldiers marched barefoot. It helps people feel clean, feel complete, and feel rich, because you don't have to wash your feet or worry about them getting as cold. When I fed the homeless with the One Way Riders before NLVPD banned us from the vacant lot where we did this so the owner could build on it (he still hasn't), we used to give out socks. You should see the looks on the faces of homeless people to get a pair of new, clean socks, even if they didn't like the socks.
Socks mean fun. Many of the things we really enjoy are things we do while wearing socks. I've watched my neices run around the house wearing socks having a marvelous time. My dad used to put socks on his ears when playing with us, and I have done that too, because it makes people smile. It doesn't work on Russians, however. As a child, we made sock puppets, and my grandmother made toys by stuffing socks and then sewing faces on them. Socks are for sliding, socks are involved in almost every terrestrial sport involving your foot, and stocking-covered feet sometimes play footsie on cold days while we sip cocoa with someone special to us.
Socks are a practical means by which we free our feet from friction. Blisters, fungus, cracks, etc., are prevented by the use of clean socks. People make fun of me when we hike for adjusting my socks before we start our ascent and for changing them when we get back to the car for a new pair. It helps me feel better after a grueling physical effort. Similarly, at the end of the day when I change my socks, it's one of the greatest feelings ever. In fact, I went out this afternoon for my "emergency socks" in my car, and when I put them on, I felt a new wave of energy. If your socks fit, your feet fit into your shoes, and you take care where you walk, having your feet appropriately shod helps carry you safely and suredly to your destination. I think God gave us socks in modernity so we could "run and not be weary and walk and not faint".
Just as the sock symbolically freed my sister, they continue to free us today. They free us to do things and go places and see things that we couldn't if we had to go barefoot. They free us from worrying about our feet being cold or dirty or cracked or damaged. They free our minds when we make toys out of socks or play games in our stockinged feet. Socks helped men move from the depths of poverty to the heights of civilization to enjoy things most people in antiquity never imagined even knowing. Socks are synonymous with freedom, particularly in a tumultuous time that tasks everyone and threatens fear and loathing on the horizon. Master has given Dobby a sock; Dobby is free.
No comments:
Post a Comment