Feeling a bit philosophical right now ...

SYates · May 17, 2016

One thing I have learned on my various caminos is that I can't change others. Not the pilgrims around me, the hospitaleros that receive me or the waiter that serves me food and drink. What I can change is my own attitude and perception. What I can change is myself.

Why I am writing this?

Because it is one of the biggest lessons the Camino taught me and I want to share it. As simple as that. If I am unhappy with a situation I have two possibilities:

a) to walk away from it
b) try to change my own attitude/perception/reaction to the situation

I am not a saint by any stretch of imagination and failing my own good intentions frequently, but I promise myself to try and if I fail, I promise myself to try again next time.

I can't change others, there are too many of those, but I can change my own attitude and - miraculously - THEN others change.

Just throwing a bit of my own camino philosophy out here.

Buen Camino, SY

DurhamParish · May 17, 2016

Wonderful thoughts SY. I couldn't agree more.

MTtoCamino · May 18, 2016

I think most gladly accept your advice. I must say that just reading some of the postings on finding a bed wear me out. Your suggestion to walk different Caminos is good.

SYates · May 18, 2016

MTtoCamino said:
... I must say that just reading some of the postings on finding a bed wear me out. Your suggestion to walk different Caminos is good.

There are so many beautiful pilgrimage roads to Santiago, why stress yourself on the CF? Buen Camino, SY

VNwalking · May 18, 2016

You and St Francis and the Buddha, SY!
I think one of the best things about the Camino is that it offers endless opportunities to learn that it's much more pleasant (and useful) to respond from a place of balance and acceptance than to react from a place of aversion. And endless chances to learn from mistakes.

SYates · May 18, 2016

" ... endless chances to learn from mistakes. " Oh yes! Not my favourite method perhaps, but surely the one that stuck with me! SY

VNwalking · May 18, 2016

Me too, SY. I may be slow but it's the only way I've ever been able to stop indulging bad habits.

SYates · May 18, 2016

Fall, go up, fail again, go up, try better, fall, go up, take a tiny step in the right direction ... Yes, does sound familiar ... Buen Camino, SY

koilife · May 18, 2016

SYates said:
" ... endless chances to learn from mistakes. " Oh yes! Not my favourite method perhaps, but surely the one that stuck with me! SY

Viranani said:
Me too, SY. I may be slow but it's the only way I've ever been able to stop indulging bad habits.

For some of us enlightened ones, it's enduring the slow learning process of others.

Oh, wait, I'm one of the slow ones. Darn it all!

VNwalking · May 18, 2016

Ha ha...yes: 2 steps forward 1 step back. Or (sad but true) all too often 1 step forward 2 steps back. Work in progress.
Nice thread, SY!

amorfati1 · May 18, 2016

SYates said:
One thing I have learned on my various caminos is that I can't change others. Not the pilgrims around me, the hospitaleros that receive me or the waiter that serves me food and drink. What I can change is my own attitude and perception. What I can change is myself.

Why I am writing this?

Because it is one of the biggest lessons the Camino taught me and I want to share it. As simple as that. If I am unhappy with a situation I have two possibilities:

a) to walk away from it
b) try to change my own attitude/perception/reaction to the situation

I am not a saint by any stretch of imagination and failing my own good intentions frequently, but I promise myself to try and if I fail, I promise myself to try again next time.

I can't change others, there are too many of those, but I can change my own attitude and - miraculously - THEN others change.

Just throwing a bit of my own camino philosophy out here.

Buen Camino, SY

Indeed!
hence this has been one of my favorite quotes e.v.e.r and even became a tag-line...
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. "
well said SY - and thanks for sharing ....keep on philosophizing - i.e. from Greek

philosophia "love of knowledge, pursuit of wisdom; systematic investigation,"
from philo- "loving" (see philo- ) +
sophia "knowledge, wisdom,"

Castilian · May 18, 2016

SYates said:
If I am unhappy with a situation I have two possibilities:

a) to walk away from it
b) try to change my own attitude/perception/reaction to the situation

Maybe it could be included on your b possibility but I'd like to add an extra one anyway:

c) don't get involved/attached with it. It's what it's. Let it be. Be like a non-participant observer. Of course, if the situation is something really serious (e.g.: a crime, someone in risk of death...), this isn't an option and you have to become a participant observer but you are unlikely to find that sort of situations.

Wokabaut_Meri · May 18, 2016

Reminds me of the parable of the hole in the sidewalk... and I've fallen down a lot of holes both literally and figuratively

Autobiography in Five Chapters
Portia Nelson
There's a Hole in my Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes me a long time to get out.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in. It's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault. I get out immediately.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

I walk down another street...

Albertagirl · May 18, 2016

Castilian said:
Maybe it could be included on your b possibility but I'd like to add an extra one anyway:

c) don't get involved/attached with it. It's what it's. Let it be. Be like a non-participant observer. Of course, if the situation is something really serious (e.g.: a crime, someone in risk of death...), this isn't an option and you have to become a participant observer but you are unlikely to find that sort of situations.

@Castilian:
A few days ago, I was involved as a participant observer in a situation which may not have been life and death, but might have been also. After I got off the transit train to work, I noticed a man on the floor in the transit station and saw another man kick him. I pushed the station emergency button and reported this to the person monitoring, who said that the police are were on the way. I suggest that most people are reluctant to actually get involved, do something. Any kind of dubious situation can be reported to the authorities, who will deal with it. I wouldn't want to walk away and find a death in the transit station reported in the next day's news. Be a busybody. You might save somebody's life. First aid is also a good idea, but getting physically involved with an attacker probably is not.

Castilian · May 18, 2016

Albertagirl said:
@Castilian:
A few days ago, I was involved as a participant observer in a situation which may not have been life and death, but might have been also. After I got off the transit train to work, I noticed a man on the floor in the transit station and saw another man kick him. I pushed the station emergency button and reported this to the person monitoring, who said that the police are were on the way. I suggest that most people are reluctant to actually get involved, do something. Any kind of dubious situation can be reported to the authorities, who will deal with it. I wouldn't want to walk away and find a death in the transit station reported in the next day's news. Be a busybody. You might save somebody's life. First aid is also a good idea, but getting physically involved with an attacker probably is not.

One of the points I was trying to make on my previous post is that sometimes to be a non-participant observer isn't an option. I think each one has (or should have) enough discernment as to know when s/he is in front of one (or various) of those situations when you can't (or shouldn't) be a non-participant observer and must take some sort of action.

Albertagirl · May 18, 2016

Castilian said:
One of the points I was trying to make on my previous post is that sometimes to be a non-participant observer isn't an option. I think each one has (or should have) enough discernment as to know when s/he is in front of one (or various) of those situations when you can't (or shouldn't) be a non-participant observer and must take some sort of action.

@Castilian:
I didn't intend to argue, just give a recent example.

Castilian · May 18, 2016

Albertagirl said:
I didn't intend to argue, just give a recent example.

I didn't (and don't) intend to argue either. When I read your post I realized my first post on this thread could be misunderstood and I decided to clarify it. In other words, I decided to clarify that really serious situations aren't just life or death situations (as someone/some people could think due to the examples I gave) and that each one has (or should have) enough discernment as to know by himself/herself when s/he's in front of a really serious situation (and when not). Anyway, my apologies if my post annoyed you or made you felt uncomfortable.

William Garza · May 20, 2016

Albertagirl said:
@Castilian:
A few days ago, I was involved as a participant observer in a situation which may not have been life and death, but might have been also. After I got off the transit train to work, I noticed a man on the floor in the transit station and saw another man kick him. I pushed the station emergency button and reported this to the person monitoring, who said that the police are were on the way. I suggest that most people are reluctant to actually get involved, do something. Any kind of dubious situation can be reported to the authorities, who will deal with it. I wouldn't want to walk away and find a death in the transit station reported in the next day's news. Be a busybody. You might save somebody's life. First aid is also a good idea, but getting phsically involved with an attacker probably is not.

My enduring problem is i cannot stand to watch a victimization..
My testes usually blind my logic and boof!
There go my feet to break up the issue.
But..ime learning to observe first now..
A keen witness can right a wrong also.
Be Blessed

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Feeling a bit philosophical right now ...

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