Journey and Meaning Making 2025

In her book The Will to Change, the writer bell hooks [her capitalization] describes the way in which patriarchy, through social conditioning, inhibits men from giving and receiving love except in the context of violence and domination. She refers to a passage from Barbara Deming who describes coming home to her father who had died of a heart attack in his garden, and realized that this was the first time that she had ever been able to touch her own father outside of the context of punishment. She states, "That the only time I would feel free to touch him without feeling threatened by his power over me was when he lay dead— it’s unbearable to me" (Deming, as qtd. in hooks, 2004, p. 19). I personally relate to this passage, as for most of my life I remember physical and verbal expressions of affection being both rare and a socially uncomfortable situation for me. Certainly me and my male friends never expressed our love for one another explicitly, and for a long time I don...

Researchers Muro and Mateo conducted a study on forest bathing and hiking in their relation to mental health after the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the study, forest bathing had evidenced positive effects on individuals’ mental health and well-being, but its benefits have mainly been studied in Asian biomes. This study aimed to evaluate whether its benefits are also generalizable to other forests and biomes of the world, such as the Mediterranean. the study used e ighty-six healthy adults of the general population, assessed before and after a forest bath near Barcelona (Spain) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A control-hiking group of participants was also analyzed to contrast the forest bathing effects on anxiety, affect, mood states and mindfulness. The results of the study showed that the guided practice of forest bathing in Mediterranean-Catalan forests increases mindfulness states and positive affect and reduces anxiety and negative affects, with effect sizes ranging from large to very ...

 Making meaning while Steeping in the Camino Cauldron is an essay by Dr. Kip Redick assigned as a required reading for the class.  To quote his own biography "Dr. Kip Redick is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and religion at Christopher Newport university." in addition he is also s piritual journey, spirituality of place, aesthetics, media ecology; visual, religious, and environmental rhetoric; and film studies. He makes specific st udy of wilderness trails as sites of spiritual journey and practice . In this writing he seeks to draw attention to the differences between modern pilgrims and historic pilgrims on el Camino de Santiago, specifically in their motivation and the definitions of those motivations. This in particular is what I want to focus on. Sin, alienation, separation, a primary motivation for undertaking a pilgrimage. What is sin? What does it do to us? Why is it so relevant to the discussion of pilgrimage? The idea of sin is a deeply religio...

 Cormac McCarthy's The Road  follows a boy and a man, father and son, through the post apocalyptic world of a fallen America. The journey along the road that the duo must take is not one of joy or determination, it is one of sheer survival. The journey they take, one of grief and remembrance for the man as he treks along a world he once knew, now forever demolished and covered in ash. While for the boy, it is one of exploration and curiosity. Of course the boy knows the gravitas of the situation he and his father are in, he knows the dangers that face him and he knows that everyday may be his last. However, unlike his father, he was born into the end of the world and thus does not know what life was like before the fall. So as he takes his journey through the ash filled desolace of a charred world, he is filled with scenes of new worlds, new things, echoes of a world he never knew.     Although the two are taking the same journey, what they get out of it is entirely ...

  The Lord of the Rings  by JRR Tolkien is a trilogy book series following the journey of Frodo Baggins and his fellowship as they try to save the world of Middle Earth from the power hungry wizard Sauron. The main two characters I want to explore are the hobbits Frodo and Samwise. Hobbits are a simple people who prioritize the simple pleasures in life, farming, food, drink and merriment. They are not ones to leave their home of the Shire, nor are they one to desire a journey of growth. They are content with what they have, so why want anything more? But because of this fact, because of how pure and unwanting of power and knowledge they are, it creates the unfortunate circumstances of them being the perfect hosts to take on the journey that will save the world from destruction.     The ring of power is the last thing tying Sauron to Middle Earth, and the only way to destroy it is to burn it in the fires of Mount Doom, a volcanic forge in the heart of Mordor, the land...

  The Goldfinch  by Donna Tartt follows the story of Theo, a young boy who loses his mother to a bombing in an art gallery. The rest of the story follows his life and how it slowly and painfully ended with his fall into corroboration with the mafia and art smugglers. Several things lead young Theo through the journey to his eventual crime and drug filled ending, but I believe it all started with one decision, a decision that seemed so insignificant at the time yet snowballed into a life filled with grief and loss.     Theo's life is a messy but happy one, he lives with his mother, his father long estranged. One faithful day, everything changes. His mother adores art, and so on this day they go to an art gallery and behold this is the faithful day a terrorist decides to bomb the museum. Killing almost everyone in the gallery, including Theo's mother. Theo survives, and in the chaos and confusion he is in, the world covered in debris and ash, Theo grabs a painting, one...

 Whenever the topic of journeying, of setting out on a mission that is only driven by sheer motivation and a will power to accomplish; I always find myself pondering the dangerous side of this world. The risks that can unfold when people take things too far. Having will power and the drive to accomplish is often commended above most things in our society, and this can be highly motivating for many people who want to finally conquer that tedious or strenuous task. But if someone in the wrong mental state is given this message to drive themselves, it can cause them to push themselves too far until eventually they snap. The example I think of most often is something I myself have struggled with for the better part of a decade now. Fitness and eating healthily.      Losing weight and getting fit is the golden stamp of achievement in many peoples eyes, especially when it comes to younger adults and teens, as beauty standards are more prevalent in the eyes of this group of...

 In Kip Redicks book, American Camino , Redick discusses the idea of "interpersonal" relationships that people have while on a Camino, and throughout their lives. Interpersonal relationships are described, paraphrased, as connections a person has to everything that isn't human or animalistic. A connection with natural elements such as trees, rocks, the sun, water, etc. As Redick describes in his book, some people highly value these interpersonal relationships, while others do not consider them on their journey. Some, as Redick described, see the trees as bothersome and repetitive. While hiking the Appalachian trail these travels find beauty in new environments, the typical picturesque views one can find in the mountains. Other, such as Redick himself, view things differently. Rather, each piece of nature, all with their own living energy and beauty and lessons that we can take with us in our journey and our lives.      I strongly agree with this idea, of taking the t...

 I saw online recently a man talking about the philosophy and weight of the fact that our world was cast in fire and destruction to become what it is today, scientifically we exist because of meteors and great storms, catastrophes that made Earth the beautiful paradise it is today. I felt like it fell right in line with what we've learned in class, and so I wanted to expand on that. It is an example of dualism and philosophical elements playing out in nature, and I find that really cool. If we observe the natural order of life, we see this pattern all around. Precious life is created through sin and sex, the extinction of the animals that roamed before us are what made our lives possible today, predators must hunt to stay alive, in nature evil sustains life and makes it possible. If it weren't for all of these things we deem as bad, then we wouldn't be here today to offer up our opinion. I believe that in this way, conventionally bad things have the potential to allow for m...

 The experience of war is something that most people can never fully understand. During the Vietnam war, several young boys were fed glamorized tales of what the military would hold, and so they enlisted and so many lives were forever changed. Bob Means is a Marine veteran who enlisted during the Vietnam war when he was 17. He wasn't at first deployed to the active war zone, but once he turned 18 he insisted on being sent out. Quickly, his idea of what war was, the chivalry and glory, changed.      During one excursion, he was ordered to fire at anything that moved, and thus, when the Vietnamese rice farms were returning to their homes, shots were fired. 22 civilians were killed. Bob Means life was changed. Returning back to normal life, he was never the same. This is the case for many veterans, and as Bob said, 44 veterans kill themselves every day. I have heard from several veterans I know personally and whom I read the stories of say that they were fed a false ide...

 In reading Desire and Its Mirror Effects, Girard and Lacan , I was captivated by Girard's ideas of what desire is and how it is formed. He believes that desire is not autonomous or second nature, but rather something that happens due to us observing others around us. When we perceive that something is wanted by those around us, we are compelled to like it ourselves.  This effect is seen in trends on social media, where items like clothing pieces or a new drink or a piece of technology goes viral and all of a sudden, everybody wants it. We feel pressured to like these items and see the appeal because our peers do as well. In other areas in society, most humans have the same ultimate goal (The American Dream) because it is standardized as this measure of what should be desired, and nearly everyone seeks to aspire to this method of living.  To build on this, I would like to point out that there is always a population that goes against the grain, who strive to not enjoy the ...

Nietzsche was perpetually sick throughout his life, suffering from debilitating nausea, pain, and worsening eyesight. These problems inhibited his career as a professor and even stopped him from being able to read and write for weeks at a time. These facts at first can appear almost ironic when juxtaposed with the general tone of his philosophy, which abstractly values strength and vigor over weakness. For example, in Geneology of Morals, he claims that in the time of antiquity morality was predominately "aristocratic" and valued  “good=aristocratic=beautiful=happy=loved by the gods,” which was gradually replaced by a “slave” morality, which holds that “the wretched, the poor, the weak, the lowly, [...] are the only ones who are pious.” He argues that the latter is developed by the oppressed as a result of feelings of resentment caused by the frustrated desire for revenge against the oppressor, which he calls ressentiment . Furthermore, he believes that in the past two mill...

 "Call me when your personal life blows up, that's how you know you're ready for a promotion." Every time I rewatch The Devil Wears Prada , which is more often than I'd like to admit, this line jumps out at me. Is this really the truth of working? Must you really let work consume your entire life and destroy any personal connections you have in order to succeed? Or does Andrea, the main character of the movie and the person to which this quote was directed to, just not surrounding herself with the right people?     Andrea has several meaningful connections that she's built at work, many of which she spends time with outside of work, such as Stanley Tucci's character who spoke the line I said above. As well, Andrea's friends and her boyfriend, who's relationship begins to fall apart as Andrea becomes more involved with her work, do not understand the high fashion world that Andy is beginning to love, they do not try to understand it, they simply beg...

     In class during week 5 we talked about the Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis, who stated that "we do not want merely to see beauty, [...] We want something else which can hardly be put into words; to be united with the beauty we see," citing examples such as "air and earth and water and Gods and Goddesses and nymphs and elves, that though we cannot, these [...] can [have fellowship with nature]." This association between the creation of mythology and the yearning to be "united" with the transcendental beauty that surrounds us reflects a relationship between not just beauty and artistic creation, but beauty and desire itself. However, with regard to the relationship between beauty and artistic creation, I am struck by another element of Lewis' statement in Weight of Glory , wherein he states that "we usually notice [yearning] as the moment of vision dies away, as the music ends, or as the landscape loses the celestial light." Oftentimes, wh...

 This article explores the connection between religious pilgrimages, such as walking the Camino de Santiago, to the consumerist obsession with places such as Disney.      I think this idea is a very interesting concept. I feel like we as a society are entering an era where religion is fundamentally different than what it has ever been before. Religion is still a major part of many people's lives, but it is increasingly rare to find people who are genuinely devoted to their religions in the way that people have been for most of human life. There are countless religions throughout the world, and all of them are practiced differently. In past eras, people clung to religion and for most of human existence religion was the primary, or one of the primary, focuses of peoples lives. Their was pure and complete devotion in ways that are increasingly harder to find in modern times. This is partially because the world has moved into a much more scientific focus and people feel ...

Christiana Soumakis is a friend of Dr. Redick's, an accomplished pilgrimage scholar and pilgrim in her own right, and this week she came to speak to us about her journey in life, and on labyrinths. The central idea that she kept falling back to throughout her talk was that of the construction and purpose of a labyrinth. What is the purpose of a labyrinth? What distinguishes it from a maze? Why does such a distinction matter? A maze is such a thing which is designed as a twisting mess of corridors and dead ends, hoping to confuse someone, inspiring fear or unease or any of the emotions which lead to the feeling of helplessness. A labyrinth is a path, one built out of a convoluted mess of twists and turns which is has but one path, one way through, and one outcome, but with the purpose of allowing one to find an understanding of their situation, no matter what that situation is.  How does the labyrinth do that? Labyrinths by nature, allow for one to approach a goal in a convoluted ro...

      Jason Ray Carney came and spoke to the class about his thought while writing his essay  Reading as Rebellion in the Age of AI . Jason during his visit discussed the power our phones have over us. Humanity is becoming increasingly addicted to technology and our phones. It is becoming a global issue that is impacting more and more people, specifically younger generations. It has become increasingly uncommon to find someone who doesn't always have their phone on them, or even more, who isn't on their phone or checking their phone every few minutes.      Jason discussed an experience he had while abroad, an experience which greatly impacted him and one he claims he would have never had if he had been on his phone. Being in the moment is such a rare thing in the modern age, with constant news coverage, entertainment, and education at our finger tips 24/7, people find no need to not be doing something. To not be stimulated or to be bored. However, bore...

          Christiana Soumakis discussed her childhood experiences with having an invisible disability which led her to struggle in school and her experiences with overcoming this and evolving into a more self-confident person who accomplished feats she never thought possible. Christiana as a grade schooler was in special ed classes, she struggles with things that are typically seen as easy, such as holding a pencil. She struggled with feelings of inadequacies at this time and struggled with the lack of understanding many of her educators had at this time. As she grew older however, she went from special education classes, to college prep, to honors, and finally to AP classes. She excelled in classes and is currently a special education teacher who is striving to support children who may have similar emotions as she once did and still do.     Christiana discussed one tool she often uses in her class, a discussion on the differences between mazes and lab...

       Christiana Soumakis began by comparing a Labyrinth to a Maze. A labyrinth leads you from the entrance to a single point in the center. It has one singular path. It is not a puzzle to solve, but an experience/journey to follow. A maze, however, has multiple paths and dead ends, and it is designed to confuse and lead you astray. Christiana compared our life's journey to a labyrinth. It is not meant to confuse or lead us astray, but guide us to meaning in our life at the center of the labyrinth.      Christiana grew up in special education and was diagnosed with ADD. Her mother at the time, didn't "believe" it to be a real thing, making her childhood growing up all the more challenging and confusing. Deep down she always knew she was smart, but no one else saw her that way. She was constantly told she needed to try harder, work harder, and do better. This left her feeling helpless in not knowing how to express what was happening, because she couldn...

In the poem "Sapphic Fragments" by the ancient Greek poet Sappho, from whom the term "Lesbian" originates due to her residence in Lesbos and passionate writings about other women, there are several different images and similes serving to elucidate the dualities of love. Mortality and immortality is mentioned at the beginning, with the statement "I tell you // someone will remember us // in the future" as well as at the end with Atthis' response, "when you lie dead, no one will remember you [...] death is an evil [...] I don't dare live with a young man --- I'm older;" these conflicting views suggest that Atthis refuses to wed Sappho because she is older than her and feels that she will not be remembered after she’s gone. So the tragedy of the poem is that only in poetry can passion be immortalized. Another image pertaining to the nature of desire is in the description of Aphrodite as a "servant // of wile-weaving,” and Eros is a ...

 Soumakis, like Professor Reddick, is very involved in hiking and its role in meaning-making. One subject she touched upon specifically was labyrinths and how they affect her life. She first began her segment by emphasizing that she was in special education when she was younger, but always knew she was smart. In some manner, she found that she wanted to be a pilgrim, although her younger self would not have led her that way if she had known that this would be the journey she would take. However, when she was younger, there was something that always tugged at her mind in terms of how she interacted with others and how her brain processes things. She was then diagnosed with ADD, which her mom did not value at first, as she believed it was just a facade for not wanting to work hard.   She transitioned into how the Camino de Santiago has impacted her and how actually committing to that journey was sufficient for her. She talked about how nervous she was at the beginning of th...

 Lost Pencils and Labyrinths: Catlynh Phan 11/13      Christiana Soumakis was a guest speaker that Dr. Redick invited into the class today. She is a special education teacher in Long Island, New York. She walked the Camino de Santiago three times, a journey she thought was impossible as someone with ADD. She found that the Camino was not a maze, where its purpose is to make you lost, but a labyrinth, where there is only one path to get you to the center.       Growing up she lost pencils all the time, everyday. Her teachers and classmates often got frustrated at her and she felt that she could never be as capable as a "normal person." The Camino was her proving to herself that she could do it.      Hardship was not far and few in between for her on the journey. On the first night she struggled to make it out of town and felt a sense of despair that she could not do it. She slowed down, and took out her guidebook and found her way ou...

In Christianna Soumakis' class discussion, she pointed out the major differences between a labyrinth and a maze. This being that a maze exists for the traveler to get lost in, and the labyrinth exists for the traveler to make their way through and find themselves in the process. This is exactly like the challenges in our life, where along our journeys we are tested in order to grow spiritually, physically, and in character. It is important not to become lost, which can be challenging along the road of life which does not make itself easy. Christianna also discusses how she grew up with special needs which were debilitating in her early years. While she eventually grew into a far more capable adult, she admitted that the insecurities and wounds from this time never healed, as she to do this day felt like sometimes there was a barrier placed above her, the label of being different and incapable. She labeled this feeling "the third-grade feeling" in reference to a particular...

     One day in Week 3, Dr. Reddick was describing Jung's concept of the mask, or the persona, social role, and public face that an individual presents to the world to adapt to society. He told a story about getting court martialed and being confined to a room except for work and meals, and using the time to meditate on the experience of having his boombox stolen and fantasizing about brutally killing the person who stole from him. He realized that this urge towards violence was an element of his mask, taken by his own country and shaped in a way that he could be sent out to kill other people unjustly. He stated that he was enabled to come to this conclusion because of the liminal space of confinement. He went on to draw a distinction between exegesis, or letting the story interpret itself, and isogesis which is to project on it and tell yourself that the person deserved it.       This story reminded me of a conversation I had with my counselor recentl...

In Plato's Symposium, two arguments given for why Eros is deserving of Praise include that of Aristophanes and of Socrates. Through the metaphor of man as a formerly superhuman creature split in two by Zeus, Aristophanes constructs erotic love or desire as a yearning for reunition with ones' other half. He states "so ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of man. Each of us when separated, having one side only, like a flat fish, is but the indenture of man, and he is always looking for his other half." This description of love as being for what we once had but now lack, as well as the "indenture" of man, indicates that Aristophanes views erotic desire as not only for what one lacks but for the other half of oneself, which by necessity we must have access to in order to become whole again. Socrates, first through a dialectic and then through a story of his conversa...

I have recently read a study by Martin Mau and a few others on the relationship of long-distance walking and mental health. The abstract of the study was interesting. It commented on the prevalence and the age of pilgrimage, an idea we have commented on in class before, and how there is some effect on the mental health of an individual undergoing a pilgrimage and a lack of effect on well-being. What is the difference between mental health and well-being? Are the two not intrinsically connected? Can one be well while being mentally unwell? Would fixing the one not help in the fixing of the other? As I see it, the difference in well-being and mental health is the difference between physical wellness and spiritual wellness. One's well-being is comprised of their situation, their health, and their maintenance of it. One's mental health, however, is how they are dealing with it, how they react, their "ok-ness" with it all. While going out on a long walk may not fix one...

What is transactionality and why do we find it absent on pilgrimages? Transactionality, stems from the thought of transactionism, " Transactionalism  is a  philosophical  approach within  pragmatism  where  inquiry  replaces traditional notions of  t ruth .   It focuses on what is happening in the constant push-and-pull between people and their ecologies" and therefore it is a school of thought where interaction is trade, something must be exchanged in order for any interaction to occur.  Transactionality is present in almost all of our everyday lives. whether you can recognize it or not. In your interactions in stores or marketplaces, yes, literal economic interactions do occur, but even outside of economics, there is trade. When meeting a stranger, names are exchanged, when interacting with other people, favors are traded, ideas are traded, time is given, things are desired of an interaction, and actions undertaken for the sake of some...