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Writer's pictureLukas Bürk

Running Philosophy Day 11: Building Sandcastles

 Building a sandcastle is the perfect example, as we can put in so much effort, but we know the next day it will be swept away like it never existed. It, therefore, seems entirely meaningless, as it has no general or overall purpose.

Nothing lasts, and nothing has lasting or universal meaning, or at least, I see no way of knowing.


I love the visualization of building a sandcastle for this topic. Building a sandcastle is the perfect example, as we can put in so much effort, but we know the next day it will be swept away like it never existed. It, therefore, seems entirely meaningless, as it has no general or overall purpose.


But in the moment of building the sandcastle, there is meaning for you, as we see when children are building sandcastles. There is personal meaning simply by enjoying the process of building it in the moment.


Our talk of greatness and legacy is futile in a way. There is nothing wrong with building a huge sandcastle, but we must know that it doesn’t last. If we enjoy chasing greatness, power, and legacy, that’s awesome. But there is nothing inherently better about it. In running, we chase lofty goals and new records. This pursuit is fantastic if we enjoy the game of achieving them (infinite games).


Perhaps it’s sometimes more important to enjoy chasing the goal than achieving it. When chasing it stops being fun most of the time (there will always be hard days), then perhaps it’s time to build a new sandcastle, chase a new goal, choose a different game.


In the end, everything will be gone, like the sandcastle. And that’s okay.


Disclaimer and notes on this series:

This blog series is a collection of my musings on philosophy as it relates to my passion for running. It's not a how-to guide or a set of rules. These are just my daily thoughts and questions, not my final answers.



Sandcastle that crumbles into the sea
sandcastle that crumbles

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