- I have always wondered what supports me to walk more than 13 kilometers every day in Beijing without being defeated by back pain. I think it definitely isn't "checking in".
- In fact, I dislike it. You run so far just to go to a place, take a photo, and then show off by posting it. It satisfies your desire for attention. It makes me feel like you're a child lacking love and affirmation, or a blogger who makes money from this.
- But why are so many people enthusiastic about doing this? I think it's a confusion that leads to 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, and finally find a famous, impressive attraction to take a photo. Then you save it and post it on your Moments or elsewhere, receiving views, affirmation, and praise from others.
- Obviously, this is a process of doing something for the recognition of others. Maybe for those who pursue this recognition and conform to the trend, it's what they need. But for an individual with thinking ability and self-realization, it's obviously something to be ridiculed.
- However, we can find that it actually comes with some other pleasures, and the key is "wandering around":
- You see many buildings and atmospheres that you think are cool and interesting. You have high expectations for what will happen next, so you keep looking.
- You discover things you have never seen before, or things you have heard of but have never seen in reality. The feeling they bring when presented in reality makes you never tire of it.
- In this process, you realize that one of your past judgments was wrong and confused. Now it's corrected, and you gain some expanded understanding and knowledge.
- While analyzing certain works, such as architecture, paintings, and sculptures, 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 travel interesting, I think "wandering around" is the reason you think all of this is worth it and continue to travel. So, as you may have discovered, "checking in" is deceptive. It's a word that conceals the truth. What we pursue is not these check-ins, but travel and tourism. As for the souvenirs we buy and the photos we take during this process, they are markers, marks that future us can use to revisit the past and savor the present.
- This is a feast for observers, but also a unique artwork. You are the author, and the content is everything from this trip. At the moment you leave a memento, emotions and memories are compressed, and your subjective content is completed. This artwork is thus finished.
写于 2023 年 5 月 1 日火车上 7:00
The guy standing in front of me with a standing ticket is really amazing. He has been standing for almost 7 hours. I just took a short break.