I feel like I finally succeeded in putting Plogging into words today.
Last time, I wrote my own answer to the question, 'How is it different from picking up trash?'
Warm-up exercises, self-introductions, mechanisms that foster interaction, and a sense of achievement that is visualized.
I thought it was a pretty good explanation myself. But there was still a lingering feeling that I was only 'scratching the surface'.
That feeling of unease cleared up all at once today.
Why does Plogging attract people? I feel like I finally managed to put its essence into words today.
The hint came from two types of 'knowledge'.
The key to reaching the answer was the two terms 'embodied knowledge' and 'tacit knowledge'.
Embodied knowledge is knowledge that can only be acquired by moving one's body.
Think about how to ride a bicycle. You won't be able to ride it even if you read the manual 100 times. You fall, lose your balance, learn with your body, and only then can you ride it. This is embodied knowledge.
Tacit knowledge is something you know for sure, even if you can't explain it well in words.
Even if you can't explain the difference between a 'classroom with a good atmosphere' and an 'awkward classroom,' you should be able to tell the moment you walk into the room. You can also sense when a friend is in a bad mood before asking them why. This is tacit knowledge.
Conversely, knowledge that anyone can obtain by looking it up in a textbook or searching online is called 'explicit knowledge'.
Explicit knowledge = knowledge that can be conveyed in words. Embodied/tacit knowledge = knowledge that cannot be obtained without experiencing it.
By acquiring these two terms, the appeal of Plogging has finally been put into words.
As AI develops, people crave 'authentic experiences'.
Why did these two terms become the key to explaining Plogging?
We are now in an era where explicit knowledge can be obtained in an instant by asking AI. History, recipes, and programming code—the answers come back as soon as you type them into a search bar.
But no matter how smart AI becomes, there are things it can never do for us.
That is embodied knowledge and tacit knowledge.
The sensation of breathing in the morning air. The moment you make eye contact with a stranger and share a shy smile. The pleasant feeling of fatigue after moving your body. No matter how much AI performance improves, these things can never be experienced from the other side of a screen.
That is precisely why, ironically, the more convenient AI becomes, the more people will seek out "authentic experiences." I realized that the reason plogging resonates in this day and age is because it fulfills exactly this need.
Why did the Neanderthals go extinct?
A story I happened to come across supported this "instinct to seek out embodied and tacit knowledge."
Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. Of the two human species that lived during the same era, why did only Homo sapiens survive?
Neanderthals possessed both physical robustness and neural networks. Yet, why?
Why did a species that should not have been inferior in physical strength or brain performance go extinct? One clue, it is said, was "trash."
When investigating trash excavated from ruins, the trash left by Neanderthals consisted almost entirely of things necessary for daily life. Things available nearby. Things used for survival.
On the other hand, the trash of Homo sapiens contained many things that were not directly related to daily life, were inexplicable, and had been transported from far away.
In other words, their range of action was different.
Neanderthals moved only within the range necessary for survival, while Homo sapiens explored as far as they could, even when it wasn't necessary.
The desire to seek encounters with the unknown and to cross boundaries. That is the natural state of us, Homo sapiens. The desire to enhance embodied knowledge and create tacit knowledge is an instinct that has been embedded in humanity since ancient times.
Perhaps well-being can be defined as follows.
A state where you can say to yourself, "I'm in a good place."
It is not something evaluated by others, but whether you yourself can feel that you are in a "good state." That cannot be obtained through explicit knowledge. It only exists beyond the accumulation of embodied and tacit knowledge.
When I heard this, it connected with plogging in my mind.
Plogging was a mechanism that satisfied this "instinctively sought-after need."
Plogging has at least three elements that satisfy this "instinctively sought-after need."
First, the act of picking up trash, which is something you don't usually do.
Walking your daily route from a different perspective. Squatting down and picking things up. Just by doing this, you step slightly outside your usual range of action.
Second, there is a mechanism that forces you to interact with strangers through picking up trash.
The person who picks up the trash and the person who holds the bag. By dividing the roles, conversation naturally arises even between people meeting for the first time.
Third. Before you know it, you have ended up contributing to society.
Even though you didn't start it out of a sense of duty, the town is cleaner when you finish. It comes as a result, not as the objective.
These three points share the same structure as the 'meaningless distant trash' that Neanderthals lacked but Homo sapiens possessed.
You do it even though it's not necessary. That is the natural state of being human.
I think I have succeeded in putting it into words.
I have finally found the words today to explain the true nature of the 'feeling of wanting to come back' that I wrote about in my previous article.
The reason plogging is fun isn't because the planning is good or the atmosphere is nice.
It is because it satisfies 'embodied knowledge' and 'tacit knowledge' that cannot be replaced by AI, search engines, or manuals.
That is why it continues. That is why you want to come back. It is not a sense of duty, but an instinct.
'What exactly makes plogging different?'
I feel like I can finally answer this question with confidence today.
Plogging is a mechanism that translates the 'encounter with the unknown' that humans instinctively seek into the form of picking up trash.
It wasn't physical strength or brain performance, but the difference in range of action that determined success or failure. That instinct remains unchanged within us today. I believe plogging is one of the few opportunities to be honest with that instinct.
Run, pick up, and satisfy your instincts. Today, I was finally able to put that true nature into words. This is the answer I have arrived at.
Plogging Japan [Official] Jogging x Trash Pickup Plogging is a new fitness trend from Sweden that combines picking up trash (PlockaUpp) and jogging (Jogging).