facilitator

[Becci Robbins]

Oh for crying out loud! We are all adults here, and if we can't handle a
little political discussion I'm afraid what that says about us. "Just
because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't
take an interest in you," said Pericles in 430 BC. We don't need the
Thought Police to ensure we express only sugar-coated thoughts about the
Camino and the larger world. Do we?

By way of full disclosure, I'm an American. I spent my first 20 years in
Europe, and the second 20 in the United States. So I find the recent thread
about anti-American sentiment fascinating. After all this time, my cultural
loyalties remain split. But I am more and more uncomfortable with the
Yankee appellation.

I walked the Camino this fall, starting my journey on Sept. 11 -- and not
by accident. I wanted to think about what it means to be an American and
about my place in the world. It was an interesting exercise in that way.

The Americans I met on the trail seemed to take up more space than other
pilgrims. There was the retired couple that, upon finding a washing
machine, repeatedly and loudly demanded detergent of the proprieter "SOPA?"
they said, as if he were either deaf or slow. Another pilgrim kindly
advised them that they were requesting soup, not soap. There was the guy
who threatened to beat up a Brit for knocking over his water bottle. And
there was another American who grilled servers for some 500  miles on the
particulars of the pilgrims menu, asking for no tomatoes on the salad, no
ham in the soup, and always more bread NOW. It was embarrassing, and made
me understand why Canadians travel with such prominent maple leaves. They
don't want to be mistaken for Americans. Who can blame them?

Sorry if political discourse makes anyone on this forum uncomfortable. I
found it an integral and rich part of my Camino experience. In my days
talking with people from all over the world, I realized how little I know
about the politics and personalities driving other countries, and how
intricately tied they are in the global tapestry that will determine
whether our children have the opportunity to even dream about the Camino,
much less walk it. We have a responsibility to understand each other best
as we can.

In my opinion, talking is not the problem. Not talking is.

Buen Camino,
Becci