Time to let your feet do the walking

IT can be a term of encouragement, or abuse, being told to stand up on your own two feet — but it is good advice for life. For a healthy one, especially.

Our evolutionary path as homo sapiens has seen us evolve as upright, sentient beings with big brains, opposable thumbs and feet that aren’t great for grasping, but which are entirely fit for purpose; that is, for running, jumping, hopping, kicking, standing. And custom-made for walking.

Fears have been expressed for generations about our baby fingers withering away, on an evolutionary decline from lack of use and purpose, apparently — although proper touch typing on currently all-pervasive keyboards might well give them a last-gasp reprieve if we don’t give them the two-fingered typist’s salute.