Fr. Richard Rohr on Tourist vs. Pilgrim

John Sikora said:

following simple logic that says no pilgrim would travel for unpleasantness

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Maybe not. It's not unheard of that walking for religious reasons includes penance and purification - which are often unpleasant And (as I understand it) that's meant to be embraced.

If your definition works for you, that's great - for you. But categories get more complicated when we try to extrapolate from one to many.

That said the reminder of simple basic definitions is fefinitely useful.

Bradypus said:

Who gets to decide what the true spirit of the Camino is?

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you do. its your camino.

John Sikora said:

I love all the preachers who spend hours and years defining what religion is and what spirituality is - along with the followers of said preachers at their feet listening to the words of wisdom. I'm much simpler. From the dictionary

Definition of Tourist - a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure.
Definition of Pilgrim - a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.

So following simple logic that says no pilgrim would travel for unpleasantness - I guess I'm a person who travels for pleasure on a journey to a sacred place for religious (aka spiritual) reasons. Ya just don't need all the philosophical and theological trappings. It's not that tough.

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This is interesting. Relying on simple, one-dimensional definitions that capture just the meaning you might prefer certainly makes it simple. It means conveniently ignoring all the other dictionary or encyclopedia definitions and descriptions that don't support your point of view. It shouldn't stop you from holding such simple views, but it doesn't mean other interpretations are invalid.

There are many alternatives which have been ignored here. One that illustrates why this might be more complex is this snippet from the Encyclopedia Brittanica:

Tourism is distinguished from exploration in that tourists follow a “beaten path,” benefit from established systems of provision, and, as befits pleasure-seekers, are generally insulated from difficulty, danger, and embarrassment. Tourism, however, overlaps with other activities, interests, and processes, including, for example, pilgrimage. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/tourism) (emphasis added)

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Another is this definition of the word 'pilgrim' from Merriam-Webster:

one who journeys in foreign lands (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pilgrim)

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I like it because it is free of the trappings linking pilgrimage to religious motivations, even were one to think that for those so inclined, religious motivation would be of paramount importance for them.

This definition would, but the same logic used by @John Sikora, mean that most tourists are pilgrims. Clearly very few forum members feel comfortable with that notion! But it is, nonetheless, the principle definition offered by Merriam-Webster.

In the context of the meditation that started this thread, my takeaway is not so much this discussion about what is a pilgrim and what is a tourist, but that the author was pointing to the existence of both an exterior and inner journey that is open to us, and the view that just taking the exterior journey is insufficient. I was challenged by a friend after walking from Lisbon last year about this, and I am still reflecting on, or perhaps puzzling about, what that inner journey really was.

on the downhill side from O Cebreiro, I was greeted by a small European robin who hopped along the path with me. I am sure many of you have seen this bird. As we walked along, we formed quite an unusual bond, as though we had known each other sometime in the past. The perky passerine pestered me with questions: who was I, why was I here, where was I going? You tell me, I replied. Without answering, the little bird puffed out his orange breast and flew off, leaving me to ponder his questions.