Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Adam Rasmussen: Camino de Santiago

I am incredibly intrigued by the Camino de Santiago. After hearing about it and seeing the pictures in Dr. Redick’s slide show, I want to walk the Camino myself. I really like the idea of being a pilgrim in another place. Being a pilgrim signifies so much more than being a tourist and when I traveled abroad, I really hated being labeled a tourist or a foreigner. As a pilgrim, you are accepted by people that have you have never met before and they accept you because of the journey you are attempting to accomplish. It signifies something so much larger than an individual person. The camaraderie that is expressed between pilgrims is appealing to me at my core. Being able to connect with people on an individual level based on this common experience is what I believe life is all about. The story of the traveler in Barcelona giving Kip multiple sweaty shirts out of love and admiration for a fellow traveler is something that I want to experience. Even though I am not religious, I believe that doing a pilgrimage such as the Camino brings out something spiritual within each person. This spirituality comes from a connection to something larger than yourself, a recognition that you are just a sole person in the world who is trying to accomplish the same feat that thousands and thousands of others before you have accomplished. It is that connection to something greater that I feel we are all searching for in life.

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