Red cross - Black cross

[Rev Anthony]

Hello dear friends, I put this question to Ivar Rekve and he thinks it a good idea.
Once this terrible Coronavirus pandemic has passed, would it not be possible to have a scallop shell with a Black cross as well as the usual Red cross. This way we could buy one those with the Black cross and leave them at various place on our Comino, churches, hostels etc as a tribute to those who have died throughout the World. Your thoughts on this please. Tony Budell.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Hello dear friends, I put this question to Ivar Rekve and he thinks it a good idea.
Once this terrible Coronavirus pandemic has passed, would it not be possible to have a scallop shell with a Black cross as well as the usual Red cross. This way we could buy one those with the Black cross and leave them at various place on our Comino, churches, hostels etc as a tribute to those who have died throughout the World. Your thoughts on this please. Tony Budell.

First: I so appreciate your thinking outside of the box to think of ways each person can show support.

Personally, I wouldn't want one. Nor would I leave anything at locations without first seeking permission to do so. . . even at Cruz de Ferro, it requires a regular removal of all the stuff left there, including memoriams.

I also think that this would open the door (maybe it is already open, but I haven't seen examples) to other causes doing the same with all sorts of color variations. Like the colored ribbon thing.

 

[trecile]

If you want to carry one on your pack to show your solidarity, that's one thing, but don't leave them behind.

 

[Kiwi-family]

The place you could feasibly leave a shell behind would be the little bar in Alberguería on the Sanabres.

Or other similar places.

 

[alhartman]

A wonderful sentiment, but I am afraid that the camino traffic has reached the extreme level where we all need to follow the Sierra Club(??) dictum. "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photos"
The ad hoc memorials are less of a problem than trash, toilet paper, etc but..........................

 

[John Sikora]

I think a better idea would be to pick out the place that needs some help and just contribute to it. While leaving a shell would be symbolic, it doesn't help keep the hundreds, if not thousands, of small albergues, casa rurals, private homes, and small bars and businesses that kept us fed, happy, and housed during our Caminos. Many of the towns that are on the Camino seem to live or die based on the thousands of pilgrims that march through their location. I fear for them and hope that they will survive for the next round of travelers.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I remember back in 1987 when I was hired to develop and implement an AIDS/HIV prevention program for a public health district. Outside of the large metro areas, like San Francisco, meaningful strategies to deal with this issue were hit and miss, and mid-size and small sized public health jurisdictions were beginning to address the issue even prior to observable illness or AIDS diagnoses.

Part of my task was diverted in 1991 to also develop and implement a case management system to be consistent with State requirements for health districts receiving funding. We had had out first diagnosed case that year. Being a smaller population base, we, of course, never had the total numbers that Seattle saw. But the challenges were still there.

One program that I had started as a public information event in the community, was World AIDS Day in 1988. It was part of a national observance.

Red Ribbons began to be worn in 1991 as a sign of Remembrance and Support. I recall how I found volunteers to make Red Ribbons so that they could be worn as part of our World AIDS Day event.

Then in 1995 at the World AIDS Day event, which by then had grown is scope and size as more HIV affected individuals became part of the community, a disturbing thing happened to me.

As I scrambled to get the final issues sorted out for the WAD program, I had neglected to put on a Red Ribbon. As I was moving through the auditorium to grab some extra programs to hand out, someone I had never seen before stepped out in front of me and caused me to stop. I started to hi, and then move around him, but, in a loud voice started berating me for refusing to wear a Red Ribbon.

One of the HIV+ individuals that I case managed moved alongside and introduced that young man to me and who I was. Without apology, the young man scurried away.

That's when it hit me. . . what had started as a good thing, a symbol of support, had become to some, a Virtue Signal.

That is perhaps why I personally do not care for a Black Cross addition to scallop shells or badges or pins. I do not want to have people's support judged by whether the can be observed wearing a symbol. That may be an overblown concern. . . heck, it might very well be.

But just as someone who eats a favorite food while ill, and then later vomits and suddenly cannot stand that food any longer, the Red Ribbon has sorta soured me on symbols as support.

 

[Chris Taggart]

Good points Dave, wearing a symbol is not as useful a sign of support as perhaps a contribution where it is seen to be useful or helpful to a small service provider.
I am sure our hearts all want to help, and that energy gladdens my heart.

 

[Kanga]

I feel the same way about daffodils. They were among my favourite flowers until my mother died of cancer. Now I blanche whenever I see or smell them.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Good points Dave, wearing a symbol is not as useful a sign of support as perhaps a contribution where it is seen to be useful or helpful to a small service provider.
I am sure our hearts all want to help, and that energy gladdens my heart.

Thanks.

I do want to make sure that others are clear: I do not begrudge others wearing symbols of support, nor do I judge or assign motivations as to why. I just assume that the wearer cares for the cause being supported.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

The place you could feasibly leave a shell behind would be the little bar in Alberguería on the Sanabres.
View attachment 72267
Or other similar places.

That is one S'Hell of a place.

 

[MTtoCamino]

The Camino is an experience that reminds one daily of those who left their bodies due to illness on the trail. Or those who had passed due to heart failure. We honor them as we move along. Same thing with the current situation. The difference is we as a global community daily now grieve. We all share the pain & rejoice for those coming out the other side. I personally think we will carry our experience without a symbol of it. As we still are not thru it.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

The place you could feasibly leave a shell behind would be the little bar in Alberguería on the Sanabres.

I wouldn't count on it. Luis is quiet strict about what goes up on the walls and how it's done. Each group that enters the bar can buy one of his shells which he will later put on the wall according to his system (the shells are grouped by date). If someone in the group wants to write a message to an absent friend or something, it must go on the same shell.