John Phillips
no longer young
- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF 2018
Muxia 2018
CDN 2019
Portuguese May2023
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Am I alone in thinking that the Camino has lost its way?
(...j
Where is the reflection, the spontaneity, the new friends?
Has the Camino lost its soul?
Its been a little over 3 weeks now since my last day on the Camino de Santiago & in the space of that time, the memory & the mourning for being back on The Way has its moments of feeling palpable. The journey you’ve all followed me on through the photos I’ve shared does little to truly harness the emotion & humility of being a pilgrim. Contrary to the blue skies & wild flowers, what the photos don’t capture is the pain, the tears, the comradery, the willpower, the love & power for change that exists within the confines of the Camino.
Your life suddenly becomes very simple - Each day you wake before the sun rises, quietly repack your belongings in the dark & you find a reason that compels you to put one foot in front of the other. That reason compels you to walk through pain; through shin splints, tendinitis, blisters, rain & hail. You walk, you eat, you laugh, you sleep, you repeat.
You cry. You cry because you’re happy, you cry as a result of pain, you cry because you’re humbled & you cry because of the deep love & respect you have for nature, the path & the people on it. Often you cry without reason at all.
The Camino makes you family; everything you have you must be willing to share. You share your last Compead, your wine, your burdens, your humour, your thoughts. You share of yourself without limitations, hesitation or personal gain. What you share becomes the testimony of your experience.
You share with strangers & quickly learn that 1 step back is more valuable than 100 steps forward in order to help another without thought for yourself. This lesson quickly breeds change & you see the best version of your Self reflected back at you in the eyes of those who you’ve stopped to help. The compassion, both given & received, cracks your heart wide open & makes it impossible to not be unequivocally changed by the experience of being human. By the experience of being a pilgrim.
The Camino compels you to look within, to be vulnerable, to let yourself need & be needed, to be compassionate; to dig deep into the confines of your heart & to learn about yourself. It tests your limits of physical & emotional pain & spins what you find into the most valuable possession you’ve ever held in your own two hands - The most authentic version of your Self you have ever known.
The journey to Santiago de Compostela is not an endurance challenge, a test of fitness, a competition or a walk about kilometres or miles. The Way is a journey into yourself. A journey into friendship, contemplation, silence, nature, humility, spirituality & gratitude.
Am I alone in thinking that the Camino has lost its way? Everyone is on their phone/computer booking ahead, sending on their bags, taking a million selfies. Cosy groups. Where is the reflection, the spontaneity, the new friends?
Has the Camino lost its soul?
Am I alone in thinking that the Camino has lost its way?
No, because nothing someone else does interferes with my camino.Has the Camino lost its soul?
Has the Camino lost its soul?
… The 'soul' of camino is my 'soul', it sits in my heart. My camino is my journey, to a place sacred to me. Undertaken with a sacred purpose and as an offering.
All the rest of it is just stuff, and if sometimes some of that stuff is a mortifying as bad boots on a rough road, so be it. No-one said it would be easy.
You stole my line...Beautifully expressed. Thank you.
No, it has not lost its soul, but it is struggling under the weight of popularity. As more people seek the experience, it puts more pressure on the infrastructure. I was going to the Camino on my own the old fashioned way - day to day, nothing but alburges. Then my wife’s Dad died and sent her into a period where she was just lost. I told her she needed to come with me on pretty short notice. I used Booking.com on my phone to make sure we had a place, and I hired her bag to be transported so she would not get hurt. It ended up being one of the most blessed experiences of our 37 years together. We met many great people. My wife to this day marvels that she did it, and I can just feel the sense of accomplishment when she talks to people about her Camino. It wont be the old way for everyone. But without some of the newer services and technologies, people like my wife may never get the chance, and I think that would be a shame. We had plenty of reflection, lots of spontaneity and met many new friends. The Camino is still there.Am I alone in thinking that the Camino has lost its way? Everyone is on their phone/computer booking ahead, sending on their bags, taking a million selfies. Cosy groups. Where is the reflection, the spontaneity, the new friends?
Has the Camino lost its soul?
Am I alone in thinking that the Camino has lost its way? Everyone is on their phone/computer booking ahead, sending on their bags, taking a million selfies. Cosy groups. Where is the reflection, the spontaneity, the new friends?
Has the Camino lost its soul?
The Spirit of the Camino lies within oneself.Am I alone in thinking that the Camino has lost its way? Everyone is on their phone/computer booking ahead, sending on their bags, taking a million selfies. Cosy groups. Where is the reflection, the spontaneity, the new friends?
Has the Camino lost its soul?
Aidan21: Outstanding response! Well said. Thank you & bless you.Has the Camino lost its soul? In my opinion, No it has not. Are human beings as different and as varied as they have been since the Camino was first walked over a thousand years ago? Yes I believe they are.
Technology cannot be un-invented. People are social animals and new technology feeds their need to be connected and to feel part of something greater than themselves. People of the 21st century will behave in ways that are consistent with our time and place, just as people have throughout history. So I say find a way to be at peace with something that you cannot change. Let other people be who they are. They, like you and me, are on the same journey; we are just at different points along our life journey even if we are at the same place on the Camino.
Personally, even though there may be problems with insufficient infrastructure, I rejoice in the fact that new technology allows lots of people to go on the Camino who otherwise would never contemplate it. The Camino gives something to everyone who walks it, and if I may paraphrase the quote from Purky above, sometimes you have got to have the eye for it, to see it.
Aidan
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