I think walking the Camino de Santiago has always been an irrational act...
Why is it irrational?
- It takes a long time, 30 to 45 days on the most popular route (Camino Frances).
- This pilgrimage is a walk, 500 miles through the mountains, plains, highways and by-ways of Spain.
- There is a good chance you will be injured on the walk.
- There is a good chance the outcome will not be what you expected.
It's irrational from my perspective; that of a middle-aged, middle-class, American male. Most of us can't take a month and half off of work, or away from family and responsibilities. Spain is a beautiful place to see but there are many more efficient modes of transport than walking. And why use that kind of vacation time to develop chronic shin splints, infected blisters the size of golf balls, muscle aches, joint pain, and probably a few bed bug bites along the way? Then there's the chance that you arrive in Santiago de Compostela AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED with you save a few callouses, rock-hard calves and a new found love for chilled red wine.
A pilgrimage walk on the Camino de Santiago is an irrational act.
And that's why you should do it.
We need more people willing to step out of the rat race-mundane-status quo just for the chance to do something irrational. Maybe the first step to victory is to recognize there is more to life than the rat race-mundane-status quo that others have convinced you is the key to successful living...
