Camino Blog – Day 6

Welcome to this Camino Blog. If you are new it might be best to start with the introduction. Otherwise, carry on.

Location: Estelle-lizarra

Distance: 22km – 113.6km total (sorry adding a bit off)

Weather: Overcast, basically fine. Not so great for photos but good for walking.

Terrain: Mostly gentle path with some bits of road.

Physical condition: Ok, pretty good actually. Today started with a sore hip but cleared up pretty fast. Sore feet but still no blisters

Other: Nothing overly dramatic today. Much like yesterday but weather not as good. Crystal has decided to have a short day tomorrow as she has more days and can take the pace a lot slower. Her body is saying have a break so it is goodbye. Sad. Seems to be a feature of the Way that people come and go from your life. Basically the Way is life compressed.

SB 6: Creation was infected, but the antidote has been administered.

So I have ripped this off C S Lewis. His way of putting it was that the major battle has been won and that all we are seeing is final mop up fighting. However it works, Jesus’ coming and dying is the key event, the turning point. The victory has been won.

For myself, and others, although this is probably accurate, it tends to trivialise life’s trials a bit much. I wonder if this SB is another way of looking at it. The world was sick, the antidote has been given so it will get better, but while that happens it can still feel awful.

Here goes a question to make yourself appreciated at parties – are people basically good with a bit of bad, for basically bad with a bit of good? Going a step further, after the fall are…?.I have heard arguments both ways but for me, more and more, I find myself in the latter camp.

I think that underneath our veneer of respectability we are nasty pieces of work. True, some are really bad but I think it is a matter of degree. I think it was Victor Frankle who, while giving evidence at the Nuremberg trials, realised that we all have the potential given the right (or wrong) conditions to be the ones in the dock.

In particular, I think material wealth and societal institutions can hide our true natures. Take those away and watch the results. Think Syria. Watch what people do when a state collapses. Watch what happens when people’s wealth is threatened. Think back to after the earthquakes in Christchurch and the way large sections of society viewed their insurance and what they tried to claim. Think that lawyers say that you don’t really know someone until they are a beneficiary of a Will. We may look nice but strip things away and watch the results.

I also used to shake my head when I heard about the behaviour of christians in churches. They should be better. Now I think, of course they behave badly. In fact you should expect more bad behaviour because of all people christians know they need saving.

But the antidote has been given….

Today I have found myself thinking a bit more about SB 5. On the way out of town we passed the sewage treatment plant.

Question for 10 – will we need a crap in heaven? We like to keep things like sewage treatment plants out of mind and sight while we focus on the pretty things, but boy would we miss them if they were not there. Three cheers for engineers I say.

Actually, It is one of my concerns about this walk. I am concerned that it is a bit fake and separated from what needs to happen for life to continue. As walkers we are basically bludging off everyone else while trying to have a “spiritual” experience. However, given how sore my feet are I am way more into the physical part of it at the moment! Integrating both is a big wish for me.

Pictures

Sewage treatment plant

Clearly not everything is sweetness and light in Spain

Bye bye Crystal