Thursday, July 25, 2013

Pilgrim

What is a pilgrim? The dictionary gives one definition as "one who travels to a shrine or holy place as a devotee." It doesn't say how the person travels. In some of the books I've been reading about personal experiences along the Camino de Santiago, I've noticed that there's a kind of "elitist" attitude among some of the pilgrims who walk the entire way (500 miles or so) towards those who do only part of the Camino, or those who do it the "easy" way: having their backpacks carried for them by car. But all of these people can truly be considered pilgrims, regardless of how they travel. Yes, a pilgrim can be one who takes a train to a shrine or holy place as a devotee. I'd like to offer my condolences to all the pilgrims who were aboard the fated train heading to Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday for the Feast of St. James, July 25th.

No comments:

Post a Comment