Go solo on the Saint-James way ?

Walking towards Santiago is a great opportunity to learn and grow in yourself. To achieve this, you will not only have to accept on the way to getting lost in order to find yourself better, but also to learn to fend for yourself in complete autonomy.

When we are with friends, we might tend to rely on each other. Therefore, we might not be doing the things we probably could have done on our own.

When we are on our own in the middle of nowhere, there is a good chance that we will surpass ourselves. We are obliged to react, when faced with an unforeseen situation, without the help or judgment of others.

The advantage of going alone therefore lies above all in the fact that you should not expect anything from others and that you have to take charge of yourself. It is through testing that we will succeed in learning where our limits lie and in better controlling our reactions and emotions when faced with the difficulties encountered along the way.

From my point of view, autonomy is therefore one of the conditions for really moving forward and surpassing oneself. This new autonomy may take a long time to arrive, but with practice, effort and perseverance, it will eventually be fairly easy to achieve.

In solitude, there is also less pressure and responsibility towards other people. It is also by being alone that we often meet the most on the way, that we might not necessarily do if we were accompanied.

The solitary walk off the beaten track allows you to fully enjoy the silence, only disturbed by the music of our footsteps and the surrounding nature. Walking on the Saint-James way can thus be easily compared to the practices of contemplation or meditation.

In my opinion, it is important to walk with little or no connection. This frees us from the technological pressure that attaches us to everyone at all times and sucks all of our energy and time. To disconnect is also to come to terms with our essentials.

Some of us will be able to effectively heal some of our wounds by reconnecting with nature, developing all of our senses and recognizing some simple but essential pleasures of life: smelling the damp earth in the morning dew, observing a simple spider's web, a sunset or a starry night, listen to birdsong or the rustle of leaves stirred by the wind ...

In the end, whether you go alone or accompanied, you will never be completely isolated, because the Saint-James way is a permanent opportunity for meetings, exchange and sharing.

Beyond the simple question of socialization, it is above all about meeting the other, the one who is different from us. It is sometimes by being confronted with the different life experiences of others that we can have a different vision of our own situation and take the necessary distance to reassess it more favorably.

We thus find in long walks an effective treatment against egocentrism and gloom, because it is proven that a "sick" person focuses much more often on his illness than on the rest of the world.

Buen camino !!!

Lionel de Compostelle

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