I too have flat feet.
I think there are a couple camps out there on this issue. First is the "your feet are built wrong use orthotics" camp, and the other side (which I kinda buy into) is the "Your feet have been so pampered by modern cushion and support that they are simply lacking the strength to function as they should (barefoot).
The first camp is obviously a solve it using science mentality. The second camp is a get back to your ancestry mentality.
So we always complain and whine about the cushion in our shoes and so on. The real issue is not that our bodies are not meant to walk, or run even. We are supremely designed to do such things. In fact, some of the most prodigious runners on our planet are primitive people who run in little more than a leather sandal (or sometimes made of old tire).
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/23/fa...3Barefoot.html
http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm This kind of study prompted me to buy these:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/pro...TOKEN=29074702
The Vibram Five fingers (kinda pricey, but fun once you get used to them) are like wrapping your foot in rubber tread. Your toes individually work as they would barefoot. There is no cushion at all, and I can tell you that after playing with these for a few years they are still in good shape, as are my feet and legs.
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