The word SHORTCUT has several meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. In our subject, it refers to the development of a path (road, highway, etc.) to reach the destination that was previously set faster. However, there is also the possibility of reaching the final destination in a shorter way even if the journey takes longer. In other words, the shortcut can be made in time or distance.
Now, in our matter of walking, we should discard any attempt to look for a shortcut, since we do not seek to make the journey to reach a certain point, but our purpose is always to walk and not to seek to save neither distance nor time (Future Posts IT IS NOT IMPORTANT TO REACH THE END and HOW IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT).
I would like to comment that this post arises from a certain anecdote that my granddaughter Ámbar remembers about a situation where her mom and dad took her to a place inside the city. It was 7 years ago. It happened that my son, asked them both which route they would like to take to get there on time, since they were running late: the shortcut or the usual way? They both answered in unison: By the shortcut! They immediately took a new route and began to walk down different streets. Time went by and time went by, and they did not reach their destination. Until my daughter-in-law, the mother, demanded: next time you ask us: Do you want to go by a shortcut or by a “largajo”? In Spanish the semantic and linguistic outburst is clearly understood, but in English it is more difficult, although the closest thing to this paradoxical expression would be a “long cut”, that is, a shortcut that is much longer, in distance and time, than the usual or logical route.
Whenever she can, Amber remembers this anecdote and mentions the possibility of finding herself in a “long cut”.
Well, within our task we must avoid both concepts, the normal and the linguistic paradoxical.
The important thing is to walk and develop some of the structured activities within the WALK-RWD system, reading, writing or drawing.
However, the shortcuts we should use are about other meanings and synonyms of the word, such as:
1) Not seeking to Interrupt the process of an action; cases such as:
– Not to avoid the walking program;
– Not to obstruct the process of reading a book;
– Not to hinder the procedure we follow to write that document;
– We should not look for a miraculous technique (short cut) to draw;
2) Indication of a part of a writing that should be eliminated;
3) Search for the expeditious process to perform a task;
4) Eliminate the action to prevent a writing from being done;
5) Not impeding or hindering a person when he or she is speaking;
All shortcuts in these other senses are welcome for the application of the WALK-RWD system.