- I have been thinking all along, what supports me to walk more than 13 kilometers every day in Beijing without being defeated by back pain. I think, that definitely isn't just for "checking in".
- In fact, I detest it. You run so far just to take a photo at that place and show off, satisfying your own desire for performance. This makes me feel like you are a child lacking love and affirmation, or a blogger making money with this.
- But why are so many people so keen on doing this? I think this is a confusion that leads to some deception. Checking in itself is not important, what's important are the other behaviors that come with checking in.
- Next, let's analyze the content of the action of "checking in":
- You arrive at a place, then wander around, finally find a famous, impressive-looking spot to take a photo, save it and post it on your Moments or elsewhere, receiving views, approval, and praise from others.
- So obviously, this is a process of "doing something for the recognition of others". Perhaps for those who seek this recognition and conform to the trend, this is what they need. But for an individual with thinking ability and self-realization, this is clearly something to be laughed at.
- However, we can find that it actually comes with some other fun, the key is in "wandering around":
- You see many cool and interesting buildings and atmospheres that you think are cool, you have high expectations for what will happen next, so you keep looking.
- You discover things you've never seen before, or things you've heard of but never seen in reality, the feeling they bring in reality keeps you excited.
- In this process, you realize that some of your past judgments were wrong, confused, now they are corrected, you gain some expanded understanding and knowledge.
- While analyzing certain works, such as architecture, painting, sculpture, you discover the author's ingenious design and expression, you feel amazed and appreciative, at the same time, you gradually form your own impression and subjective construction of this place, this city.
- For those who find traveling interesting, I think "wandering around" is the reason you find all this worthwhile, the reason to continue traveling. So, I'm sure you have also noticed that "checking in" is deceptive, a word that masks the truth. What we pursue is not these, but travel and tourism, and for those souvenirs we buy and photos we take during this process, they are markers, marks that future us can use to go back to the past and savor the present.
- This is a feast for observers, but also a unique piece of art, the author is yourself, the content is everything from this trip. At the moment you leave a memento, emotions and memories are compressed, your subjective content is completed, and this piece of art is finished.
Write on the train at 7:00 on May 1, 2023
The guy standing in front of me on the train is really amazing, he has been standing for almost 7 hours, just took a short break.