On being a pilgrim

[Kathy Gower]

Going through some papers I found this article from the Confraternity of St.
James, in the Winter 1997 edition, I believe.  It seems timely, given
concerns about crowds, best routes, etc:  Credit goes to Laurie Dennett:

To Be a Pilgrim ...  by Laurie Dennett

This essay arose from a special meeting of the Confraternity Committee in
June 1996.  We met to consider the fears raised by what some have seen as
the recent over-popularisation of the Camino de Santiago. In the face of
official efforts to transform the pilgrim journey into a species of mass
tourism in 1993 our concern was twofold: for the physical integrity of the
Camino and for the quality of the pilgrim's experience of the route. We
discussed whether these fears were justified, and ways of mitigating the
damage and preserving the essentials. The approach of another Holy Year in
1999 made this a matter of prime importance. I am grateful to my colleagues
for their contributions to our discussion and to this essay.

There is no doubt that the number of pilgrims climbed dramatically during
the run-up to 1993 (some statistics). We can hardly complain of this:
promoting interest in the Camino and helping to transform interest into
action are part of what the Confraternity is about. The question is whether
the response to promotion has actually begun to affect the character of the
route and of the  pilgrimage, which the Confraternity and the other jacobean
associations also exist to conserve.

How to safeguard the physical integrity of the route is an ongoing problem
with no very clear-cut solution. The Confraternity shares the obligation to
defend the historic Camino when threats to it arise, ideally as part of a
united effort with our European colleagues. In practice, it is difficult to
protest if no protest is raised in Spain to give a lead, and sometimes,
local interests and the press being what they are, this may happen later
than it should. The best we can do is to be vigilant and as well informed as
possible, and let the Spanish Federation know of the Confraternity's
support. We must also maintain good communications with the Council of
Europe and UNESCO   both of which have formally 'adopted' the Camino. The
former's commitment has taken the form of a great deal of
monstrous sign-posting, rather than action which might have prevented the
damage done in the run-up to 1993; the latter's involvement came only after
the damage was done, thereby giving it the seal of approval - but they are
all we have.

The effect of the pressure of numbers, and of motorised travel on the
'pilgrim experience' gave rise to a lengthier discussion. Since in recent
years those using the traditional ways of doing the pilgrimage have been so
far outstripped in numbers by car, coach and air travellers as to now be in
the minority, it is worthmaking a fairly basic, but important distinction.
The 'traditional ways' are those that involve making the journey by one's
own motive power, implying an investment of physical effort or sacrifice, an
element of physical vulnerability, and a frame of mind that is open to
encounter. For some people this last presupposes going alone, or with very
few companions; the traditional ways also preclude, unless essential for
medical reasons, the use of backup vehicles.

The journey made in this way and in this spirit is the one that qualifies
for the Compostela, whether over the stipulated minimum distance or the
width of Europe. Why is the distinction between this kind of travel and
travel by motorised means, in large groups, (even large groups of walkers or
cyclists), quite independent of the interior disposition of the traveler, an
important one? Some people might hold that it is not, that ways of travel
may be 'different' in mode but not in quality. Perhaps it really comes down
to whether one accepts what certain kinds of experience - the accommodation
to silence, solitude, sharing, trials of one sort or another - invite
personal growth on the pilgrim's part, beyond that usually required by the
circumstances of everyday life. The person who embraces the vulnerable
condition of the walker or cyclist, accepting what comes, is challenged by
these kinds of experience daily, and although he or she may
start out with no such expectation, the walker or cyclist whose aim is
'merely' to have a cheap, boozy and reasonably, comfortable outdoor holiday
may be challenged more than most. In other words, people with no particular
spiritual orientation, attracted by the publicity surrounding the Camino and
deciding to walk or cycle for purely recreational reasons, often undergo a
transformation of personal values that has a lasting effect on their lives.
Motorised travelers, however sincere, are less challenged by circumstances,
less  likely to arrive at that acceptance of dependence and inter-dependence
that is one of the Camino's gifts to the walker or cyclist in exchange for
physical effort.

The desire to reproduce the values of the pilgrimage in the daily life one
return to is the natural outgrowth of that state of mind, and gives the
experience of the pilgrimage much of its lasting resonance.

We cannot, therefore, complain at the increase of 'recreational' walkers and
cyclists on the grounds that they do not approach the pilgrimage in the
right spirit. The Camino has always been full of casual travelers, and it
still seems to work its very considerable magic on a high proportion of
them. But it does seem to me that numbers pose a threat in another sense. I
happen to think that whether a pilgrimage is made on foot or in a motorcoach
matters a great deal, for an additional, fundamental reason - although it is
one that is apprehended only in the doing - that the pilgrim's journey is
always a shared undertaking; he or she is guided, encouraged and aided by a
network of 'dedicated others', living and dead, and the sustained experience
and conscious awareness of being so supported
is profoundly educative. There is also the meaningful sense of commonality
that develops among people who meet by chance as pilgrims on the Camino,
exhilaratingly free of the usual judgmental preliminaries. Rapid, motorised
travel, and travel in large groups which are self sufficient and have their
own social dynamic, usually preclude these kinds of sustained experience.

And a further point, turning to the effect of large numbers on the actual
Camino: they can erode the unforced goodwill of those 'dedicated others' who
live along the route, inter-action with whom is frequently cited by pilgrims
as offering the most memorable experience of their journeys. There were
enough stories of 'rip-offs' in 1993 to suggest that un-conditional
generosity had occasionally given way to cynicism. In that sense, the
'pilgrim experience' may already have altered, and the fears that we
considered last June may well be justified. Some people feel that there is
no 'may' about it, and that the pressure of the last few summers has been
decisive.

How can those of us who go on pilgrimage redress the balance? One might
simply choose to avoid adding to the numbers. The obvious way is to go out
of season if following the Camino Francés, or if the summer is the only
feasible time to go to take one of the lesser-known routes, such as the
North Coast Route. That said, there will still be a lot of people to whom
the Camino Francés is irresistible and for whom June to September is the
most convenient time. The Committee concluded that there were a number of
things that could be done.

Firstly, with regard to local people, one can be notably and unfailingly
appreciative, the expression of gratitude being the hallmark of the pilgrim.
(On the wall of the refugio at Mansilla de las Mulas is a notice which ends:
'And don't forget: the tourist says "Give me ..."; the pilgrim says
"thank-you"'.) Tourists feel they have a 'right' to expect this or that
because they are paying for it; the condition of the pilgrim claims no
'rights'. The things of the Camino belong to each and every pilgrim, to the
extent of taking responsibility for safeguarding them, but not in any
personal, proprietary sense.

Secondly, one can behave, dress, spend etc in a simple, discreet way that is
in keeping with the most basic form of travel and with the spirit of
encounter. That means not creating barriers between oneself and local people
by offending their sensibilities. (I observed two pilgrims in bikinis
promenading through a Galician hamlet last summer, leaving the residents
scandalised; pilgrims drinking other than moderately has the same effect.
Need one say anything about such practices as picnicking in churches,
littering, using the verges or the Camino as a toilet, leaving graffiti,
gouging one's initials on trees?)

With regard to one's fellow pilgrims, one can adopt an attitude of service.
The more of them there are, and the more there come to, be in future years,
the more need there is for the consideration that dispels anonymity. It may
be no more than offering encouragement to someone who is finding the going
difficult. But what about carrying a plastic bag while walking, to collect
other people's litter, or making a point of keeping to hand some small
useful objects such as penknife or needle and thread, with the specific aim
of being of use to fellow pilgrims? What about resolving to do some
unobtrusive act of kindness each day to improve the quality of someone
else's journey? Or taking the initiative in the refugio and gathering a
group together to share the experiences of the Camino. Or learning enough
elementary first-aid to be able to deal with blisters, tummy troubles and so
one, for any companions as well as oneself?

One veteran hospitalero commented after the onslaught of 1993 that the best
thing the jacobean associations could do for the Camino would be to stop
sending pilgrims down it. I disagree. By all means, let us keep encouraging
people to make the pilgrimage to Santiago but let us be clear about a few
things.

There is the Camino one walks and the Camino one lives - often as a result
of having walked it. There is no doubt, in my mind at least, that if in the
approach to 1999 the physical Camino is further 'improved' by the
authorities so as to eliminate its more challenging features and to make it
'accessible' to untrammeled hordes using every modern form of conveyance,
not only will the physical integrity of the route be altered for ever, but
that essential component of the pilgrimage, the perspective of those
'dedicated others', will also change. Increasingly there are more and more
instigations to regard the Camino as a commodity and the growing number of
pilgrims and travelers on it as captive consumers. Defense of the historic
route is one of our prime collective responsibilities. But may I be so bold
as to suggest that everyone who sets foot on the Camino has the personal
responsibility to reinforce, through the way they enact their
pilgrimage, its character of simplicity, self-sacrifice, openness to
encounter. That will in turn reinforce the dedication which has been an
essential element in sustaining it for the past millennium, so that it has a
fair chance of surviving into the next.




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