[One Thousand Characters a Day] Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'Confessions'

Editor's NoteIn every era and in every way, there have been people who took to the road and walked. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Swiss-born French philosopher, novelist, educator, and musician, was also one of the great writers fascinated by walking. As a thinker representing the European Enlightenment, his writings became the ideological foundation of democracy and influenced the French Revolution. He believed that the development and progress of civilization distanced humans from their natural state and resulted in the destruction of human nature and morality. Rousseau also recounted his experiences of walking in his autobiography Confessions, recalling that it was the time when he felt most alive. Word count: 1058.

I regret the most that I did not record my walking journeys. Some interesting yet trivial events have been erased from my memory because of this. I have never felt as fully alive as when I traveled alone on foot, and to dare express it, I have never lived such a complete life nor been so thoroughly myself. Walking breathed life into me and awakened my mind. Without any movement, I cannot even think. For my reason to function, my body must also move. While walking, I enjoy the wonderful rural scenery, the refreshing sights that come one after another, and the free atmosphere; my appetite is stimulated, and my health is maintained. Being free at my lodging and detached from everything that binds me frees my soul and enables bold thinking. Without any fear, I push myself into the vast existence and pick, bind, and use all aspects of existence according to my imagination. Handling nature as my heart desires, my mind moves according to what I encounter. I try following what pleases my heart and even become one with it. Surrounded by captivating images, my mind becomes intoxicated with sweet sensations. To preserve these emotions forever, I delight in thinking about how to color and depict them! It is said that this aspect also appears in the writings I composed in the twilight of life. Ah! If only I could see the walking journeys of my youth. Though I can picture them in my mind, there are no records of those walking journeys! If someone asked why I did not record them, I would answer, “But why should I have recorded them?” Is it necessary to lose the charm of what I enjoyed by telling others? In fact, when walking, what do readers, the public, or the world matter to me? Besides, did I even have a pen, paper, or ink at that time? If I had had all those things, I probably would never have thought to keep a record. Moreover, one cannot predict what thoughts will come. Thoughts do not come when I call them; they only come suddenly.

- The Joy of Walking, edited by Suzy Cripps, translated by Yun Gyo-chan and Jo Ae-ri, Influential Publishing, 16,800 KRW