William Garza
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances, The Jakobsweg
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What do you do with the hours in your mind on the road?
I am not a believer in 'instant friendships' on pilgrimage or anywhere else. I think I might find your self stated insatiable appetite incompatible with my views on polite social discourse amongst strangers. You won't need to change tack. I think the mere whiff of the sort of inquisition implied by your post will make sure that I don't get anywhere near you.I am isatiable in my appetite for others views on morals,ethics and points of view..ohh dinna get me wrong,i will change tack if someone gets uncomfortable..i just want to hear the motivations that make a person..them.
I know what you mean...I once walked during the US presidential election and wanted to find a Canadian flag to stick on my backpackOne evening on the Camino Portugues I found myself in an albergue with 5 Dutch people. I was the only Australian. I was suddenly the target of an attack on Tony Abbot's "stop the boats" policy. I was amazed at the strength of opinion on this topic. I was completely dismayed at the anti-Australian feeling displayed in the discussion.
I am not a believer in 'instant friendships' on pilgrimage or anywhere else. I think I might find your self stated insatiable appetite incompatible with my views on polite social discourse amongst strangers. You won't need to change tack. I think the mere whiff of the sort of inquisition implied by your post will make sure that I don't get anywhere near you.
Believe it or not i dont take too many people to heart,ive no strangers in my view..but a few closely cherished friends..
I have been held a mirror and see how odd it would be with all the questions!
Hi William. I agree with Doug. I'll be looking for 5 weeks of quiet introspection and general light conversation with the others I meet along the way. I plan to walk right before the next US presidential election. I may have to consider Laura's idea of putting a Canadian flag on my pack. I'm sure you will find plenty of others with which to share opinions, though. As one of the local radio stations would say... Such conversations would soon give me "tired head"!
Hi Camino Deb, just wondering what you'll be when you (happen to) finish a bottle of Tinto that goes with your Menu del Dia/Peregrino in September?
Judy, how about the flag of Texas instead? It looks nice and would make a good conversation starter...
I have to say my first reaction--that I didn't write then--was "As little as possible!"
Now I see I'm not the only introvert. It's good to be in your company, relatively quietly. Letting other people do the talking. Thanks everyone.
Go for it girl, although I have had many many moons to perfect my goofy. My little sister called that look my "Really?" look, where she'd say something completely inane and I would just smile. I miss my little sister.We are going back to continue our Camino next year and thanks to this thread, I have just realized it will be an election year. Coleen Clark - I hope you don't mind if I adopt your "goofy" smile when the inevitable election conversations come upI generally don't talk politics or religion with people until I get to know them, and maybe not even then.
...The second thing is my rather poor command of spoken English which sometimes makes it difficult to keep up the speed of the conversation and this results in that I sometimes remain silent and thus comes across as withdrawn and silent on the verge of being rude. Unfortunately.
One evening on the Camino Portugues I found myself in an albergue with 5 Dutch people. I was the only Australian. I was suddenly the target of an attack on Tony Abbot's "stop the boats" policy. I was amazed at the strength of opinion on this topic. I was completely dismayed at the anti-Australian feeling displayed in the discussion.
I firmly believe that one should NEVER talk about politics or religion unless you absolutely know the other party is receptive to those topics. As an American I have grown weary of hearing about what a crappy country I come from. I get it. We have too many guns. We eat too much at McDonalds. We start too many wars. We consume too much energy. But you know what? I'm not in charge of the United States. Could we just have a pleasant conversation about anything but politics and religion?
We are going back to continue our Camino next year and thanks to this thread, I have just realized it will be an election year. Coleen Clark - I hope you don't mind if I adopt your "goofy" smile when the inevitable election conversations come upI generally don't talk politics or religion with people until I get to know them, and maybe not even then.
I think this is more good manners than anything else. How tiresome and crass it would be if everyone listed his credentials; it would be nothing more than a round of one-up manship. My guess is that this is so rare, I find it strange that it was even mentioned........they would sit around a table in the evening and talk but no one was allowed to say what their profession or status was.
Aaah, you said "no one was allowed to say what their profession or status was." I inferred from that that this information was not to be volunteered, and the fact that it was even mentioned I thought was strange because, in the normal course of events, it's not information that is usually offered up unless it is pertinent to the matter being discussed. If someone, during the course of conversation is asked "So what do you do in life?" Well, that is another matter. Perhaps what you might have said in your post was that no one was allowed to ask another what his profession or status was.Really? Of the chance encounters I had so far, I learnt very quickly what their jobs were or had been. "So what do you do in life?" seems to be very much part of small talk, on and off the Camino.
Yikes, I didn't think about the fact that I will be doing my camino in the two months right before the election. This will be interesting. Sign me up for the "goofy" smile brigade
Agreed. I think the same goes for volunteering information. My hackles still rise when I recall having a chance, very short, conversation with someone. His very first words were to tell me how he used to make his money, how he currently made his money and the level of education each of his children had achieved.It all depends what type of people happen to be in the group. There are some who tend to ask you personal questions within a few minutes of the usual greeting (Hola and or Buen Camino) whilst others are more respectful and tend not to ask about things you wouldn't tell an acquaintance.
Agreed. I think the same goes for volunteering information. My hackles still rise when I recall having a chance, very short, conversation with someone. His very first words were to tell me how he used to make his money, how he currently made his money and the level of education each of his children had achieved.
Judy, I love that big chair you're sitting inProbably more like a "Hairy eyeball" that Icacos mentioned for me.(Although I could buy an actual Goofy hat and wear it when it's cool. That would be fun!)
Dare! Double Dog Dare! I cannot wait to start my Camino! August here I come!Probably more like a "Hairy eyeball" that Icacos mentioned for me.(Although I could buy an actual Goofy hat and wear it when it's cool. That would be fun!)
Love your sense of humor!Dare! Double Dog Dare! I cannot wait to start my Camino! August here I come!
Perhaps. And perhaps some of us don't like nosy busybodies, or people that look and act like them. It seems to me that the people who are lacking the social skills are the ones that probe and pry when that is unwelcome. It is popular to talk about empathy quotients - these people don't rate well in my book - perhaps not a big zero, but certainly not on the high side!I think that some people lack social skills in an "open" situation.
View attachment 18996Izzybella9 here's your hat. Please stay in step, smile, and have fun. We walk in joy, open to what the Camino teaches us. If it is tolerance of probing questions, we learn. If it is 20 km is too much for us or 3 glasses of vino is over our limit, we learn. But we never lose our joy or goofiness. At ease, soldier!
Opinions and Farts. Everyone has them. No one wants to hear anyone else's. Mine doesn't stink but yours sure does.Hear, hear.
Really, aren't you responsible for everything in the USA?
And how about hearing about how loud and pushy Americans are by loud and pushy people? I will be quietly smiling the Mona Lisa smile and walking on.
I try to understand a peiples cultureWilliam, I read the forum rules for the first time just now where it says "No discussions on religion, bull fights, sports and politics. These topics 'always' end in a fight, so let's not go there. It is true that the Camino and religion is closely related, so some leeway will be given." Obviously, these are rules for talks on this forum but at least two of these topics have also been named as taboo or unwelcome during the walk.
Bull fights are probably not a hot topic amongst walkers, I assume there will be more or less unanimity, even if camino walkers come from diverse cultural backgrounds and countries. I myself find it interesting to learn how people who live in the area I visit or pass through view others and how they view things. In the area around Dax I saw posters and an arena for the first time. I also had to use a taxi a few times there, to get to my accommodation and back to where I had stopped the day before and to and from the station. In taxis, I often feel an obligation to start a conversation, so I used the opportunity and cautiously approached the subject in a neutral way with the taxi drivers. I found their reaction interesting: they don't go there anymore or have never been to a bull fight but they passionately defend it as part of their local culture and customs. They obviously had such conversations with outsiders before.
Since I have no interest in sports other than those I practice myself (jogging, running, hiking), this topic has never posed itself as a problem for me. I was suprised to see it mentioned in the rules.
Opinions and Farts. Everyone has them. No one wants to hear anyone else's. Mine doesn't stink but yours sure does.
I will be carrying a Texas Flag!Judy, how about the flag of Texas instead? It looks nice and would make a good conversation starter.
A month ago, I happened to walk past a dozen or so pilgrims on the CP with big flags on their backpacks. Curious, I asked what country they were from. Aland Islands, I was told, is an autonomous part of Finland but they were monolingually Swedish-speaking. What followed was an interesting lesson in Geography and good company for a good hour for me.
Cheers!
This is so very true, William. A very dear friend and confidante of mine, now deceased, told me years ago that constant activity is the antithesis of self-reflection [edited]. Would that we could transfer this knowledge to some who need it.Its the profound silence between the words that speak more clearly to me than what is being said,
................There is so much more in life if I sit still and be..still.
The words between the words are there to be heard.
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