A Fast History of Shoes

Pull on your athletic shoes and get ready to run through a timeline of shoes. 

Scientists found evidence while researching the Last Glacial Period (at least 50,000 years ago) of footwear on human remains. The oldest shoes so far recovered were found by a team under Luther Cressman in Fort Rock Cave, Oregon in 1938.

Walk Like an Egyptian

Credit the ancient Egyptians as the first culture to wear platform sandals. Butchers wore thicker soles to raise their feet out of the gore on the floor and the wealthy sometimes wore them.

If you have never seen Saturday Night Live's, funny take on the way ancient Egyptians walked (with Steve Martin) I highly recommend you go to YouTube. But that's not where the term "Walk like an Egyptian" came from. Liam Sternberg (The Bangles) thought passengers on a ferry crossing the English Channel looked like ancient Egyptians as they tried to keep their balance when the boat hit waves.

Just Like a Roman

The Romans saw clothing and footwear as unmistakable signs of power and status in society. Patricians typically wore dyed and ornamented shoes of tanned leather while plebeians wore rawhide or hobnailed boots. Slaves went barefoot.

Medieval Footwear

In the 12th century leather shoes and boots were more common. From the reign of Charlemagne Byzantine fashions began to influence the west and the popes and bishops began to feature more luxury in their footwear including embroidered silk and velvet slippers.

During these Middle Ages footwear got really weird when wealthy women wore Chopines (pictured above), that were so awkwardly high that the wearer required two servants to help support them. The higher the status the taller the Chopine. The men had their own ridiculous shoes. For the record, the term "well-heeled" came from this time period.

Shoes in the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries

Frankly 19th century shoes were often boring featuring lowcut shoes, boots, slippers and sandals made from a variety of materials from leather to snakeskin. The 20th century however opened Pandora's Shoe Box and shoes became works of art - and yes - status again. 

                                                   Sneakers

My favorite shoe is the once lowly sneaker, which has gone by a variety of names, depending upon geography and changing over the years. The term 'athletic shoe' is typically used for shoes used for jogging or road running and indoor shoes. We can thank Henry Nelson McKinney an American who was an advertising agent for N.W. Ayer & Son for that moniker. He used the term sneakers because the rubber sole made the wearer stealthy. 

During the 1950s when I was growing up kids began wearing sneakers as school dress codes relaxed. I loved my first pair of black and white Converse sneakers which liberated my feet from the heavy and all too often tight leather dress shoes I had to wear. Sneakers became so popular back then that their sales rose so high they began to hurt the sales of conventional leather shoes. 

In the 1990s, various vendors began producing "walking shoes" for adults using the construction technology of sneakers but visually resembling traditional shoes. They were so popular that by 2010 they repeated the post-1950 success story and outsold leather shoes for adults.

I can't talk about sneakers without mentioning their importance in cultures since the 1970s. Pumas, Nike, and Adidas became intwined with Rock 'n Roll and "sneakerheads" made them some of the most fashionable footwear on the planet. Today, collecting rare sneakers in limited numbers is popular with collectors willing to pay thousands for an old pair of Michael Jordon's sneakers. 

As it Stands, I think I'm on firm footing with my Sketchers Slip-On's.

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly on Commuting to Work

When it comes to going to work people generally have two choices: public or private. 

There are benefits to both means of traveling.

Most of my work life I lived in California where cars and trucks are worshipped like metal deities. 

The idea of taking a bus or train to work every day was repugnant to me. I wanted my space and that's all there was to it. The idea of interacting with strangers daily wasn't my idea of having a good commute.

I suspect an environmentalist would look down on my selfish choice and condemn me as a wicked capitalist who didn't care about the planet. Not true. I'm very concerned about pollution on this planet... I just express my concerns in other areas.

The Benefits of Driving vs Public Transit

1. A flexible personalized schedule catering to individual preferences.

2. Privacy and personal space.

3. Door-to-door service eliminating the need for additional modes of transportation for the daily commute. Less commute time means less stress.

4. Carrying personal belongings that you can't have on public transportation.

The Cons of Driving to Work in your Own Car

1. Traffic congestion. A long commute spent during rush hour (when most people are on the road) can lead to stress, anxiety, and sometimes road rage.

2. Environmental impact. Single-occupancy vehicles contribute to environmental pollution, adding to carbon emissions and traffic-related environmental issues.

3. Cost savings by avoiding fuel, parking, and maintenance expenses, and potential tolls.

4. Limited productivity. The time workers spend driving is often considered unproductive, with individuals unable to engage in work-related tasks during the commute.

If you want more detailed information on commuter benefits, I recommend Googling Edenred's Commuter Benefits website. It offers a superior alternative for your daily commute, combining the connivence of personal transportation with the cost savings and sustainability of public transportation.

In general Americans tend to avoid most forms of public transportation with the exception of some major cities. 

In my humble opinion it's because we are too independent and are addicted to our personal vehicles. In most of the major industrialized nations public transportation plays a much larger part than personal vehicles do.

The few times in my life that I took public transportation (a bus) were memorable - and not in a good way. 

A Closing Anecdote

One time while traveling on a Greyhound bus to Washington state a passenger freaked out and started attacking other passengers with his guitar! Along with a couple of other guys we were finally able to subdue the dude who had to be high on something (medium build but strong as an ox). 

The bus driver pulled the bus over by a phone booth (yes, back then there were public phones available on some highways). He calmly got out and called the cops and lite up a cigarette. I joined him while the police were taking the guy away and vowed never to take public transportation again. Thus far I've kept my oath. 

As it Stands, one of the benefits of retiring is not having to commute to work every day. Maybe that's what pundits mean by golden years. It's a matter of perspective.

A Wary Glance at Gambling

I'm going to take a gamble here and say you've probably gambled on something at least once in your life.

Gamblings linage goes back to ancient times. It's also universal. Early man gambled every day of his life that a wild animal wouldn't kill him while hunting for food. 

Historians tell us that gambling dates back at least to the Paleolithic period, before written history. It was the Mesopotamian culture that invented the first six-sided dice thousands of years ago. As early as 2000 B.C. in ancient China, the Book of Songs records a game where those who play draw wood tiles in what appears to be a lottery game.

Gambling has a mixed history of being popular and being reviled in most societies. Christians, as well as Muslims, Jews, Baha'i, and other religious groups have a historically opposed gambling. From a Buddhist perspective, recreational gambling would be considered harmless and not against the Precepts. However, because all gambling plays at least some element of greed, it is certainly unbecoming for Buddhist organizations to raise funds by lotteries and games of chance.

             Lotteries

Organized gambling on a large scale and sanctioned by governments and other authorities in order to raise money began in the 15th century with lotteries - and centuries before in China with Keno.

Today lotteries are commonplace in America. The first modern government-run US lottery was established in Puerto Rico in 1964. Instant lottery tickets, also known as scratch cards, were introduced in the 1970s and have become a major source of lottery revenue for state governments. Multi-state lotteries, such as Powerball and Mega Millions, came into being starting in the mid-1980s, as smaller states banded together in order to get in on massive jackpots and attract more people.

It's interesting to note that prior to 1964, lotteries were illegal in the country. But greed is a powerful stimulant that overcame gambling laws one by one.

The Pitfalls of Gambling

According to the Mental Health Foundation research department gambling can cause low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.

It can become an addiction, just like drugs or alcohol. It also affects the part of the brain that releases dopamine (our natural high). Problems with gambling can lead to bankruptcy, crime, domestic abuse, and even suicide.

So why even gamble?

The experts tell us the personality of a gambler is complex and multifaceted. Gamblers are risk-takers, impulsive, optimistic, competitive, and sometimes use gambling as a form of escape. Apparently, it's in our DNA when you consider how long mankind has been taking chances for a thrill.

Because I fit in several of the above categories I know something about gambling. I confess I was addicted to it at one time. When I got back from Vietnam in 1970, I was addicted to adrenaline highs and did a lot of crazy things. Driving fast, picking fights, and gambling when I couldn't afford too were all symptoms of my PTSD. I struggled for years until I finally got help.

I learned that mental health disorders are common factors for people who gamble along with certain personality disorders. 

As it Stands, the good news is there are plenty of organizations who can help you if you can't control your urges to gamble.