Journey and Meaning Making 2025

During week 5, Dr. Reddick was explaining the origin of the theatre, stating that the Greek tragedy originated from the Dionysia, a festival in worship of the Greek god of wine. In the woods, drunken Maenad women ate an effigy of Dionysus near a central fire. The entire village would then dance around the fire in a circle referred to as an orchestra or dancing place, in order to enter an ecstatic state. As the ritual continued to change over time, they made a backdrop, called a scenae , from which we inherit the word scene. Then, part of the village split off from the ritual to become audience members rather than dancing themselves, and they would sit in an area called a theatron , or the place from which you see. The smaller group who engage in dancing were referred to as a chorus . Next, the ritual evolved so that one of the members of the chorus stands aside and became a narrator; the narrator then became two, the protagonist and antagonist; and finally, the chorus was transformed i...

 In relation to reading Levinas's Substitution. The idea of substitution in our code of ethics is that we feel responsible for other human's wellbeing even if it does not directly affect ourselves. It come's before our own freedom that we are needed to help another. If the human operated solely to survive upon natural instinct, then why would they waste their time, resources, and energy helping out someone else?  This especially comes into play when it could actually put the individual in danger in some situations. Dr. Redick shared a story recently where a sniper was taking fire at him along a trek through the dessert. He made a break for it, and almost escaped the madman, but could not flee into the distance consciously without ensuring his hiking partner was able to as well. This effect in our minds is completely involuntary. I believe this phenomenom is deeply intertwined within the collective unconscious. We are all born with the imprint that we must help eachother out...

While reading Interpreting Contemporary Pilgrimage as Spiritual Journey or Aesthetic Tourism Along the Appalachian Trail from Kip Redick, I understood the differences between two phrases commonly used interchangeably.  In tourism, the traveler observes the sights and landmarks through a secular perspective, wherein the tourist comes in with fixed ideas of what they want to achieve and experience. It is a journey that teakes place in the least abstract rendition of oursleves, it is an outer journey. The meaning is predetermined, and comes from a place of human desire and the want for leisure. There is nothing bad about tourism inherently, to bask in the cultures of foreign people is an enriching activity.  However, it is very different from pilgrimage. In pilgrimage, the goal is not fixed, but rather the goal in the journey is actually the journey itself. To experience the travels and let the spiritual meaning find the voyager is the devotion of a pilgrimage. Self emptying is a...

Graduating high school and starting college was a journey filled with both excitement and uncertainty. High school was a time of comfort and familiarity for me. I had stable friendships, and my day-to-day life was pretty predictable. However, after graduating, I had that fear of the unknown because I didn’t know how life in college would be. I wondered if I was even going to like CNU or find a group of friends where I could be myself with. Since being at CNU, I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone, met new people, and learned how to rely on myself. I discovered strengths I didn’t even know I had. Every moment at CNU has taught me lessons that I am forever grateful for. I realized that uncertainty and discomfort were opportunities for growth. I have valued everything I have learned so far because it has led me to where I am right now. There is always going to be change, but that is how we can find meaning. The beauty of a journey is that we have to navigate through these changes to...

Music is very important to me and to many people. Songs have the power to take us through different emotions, whether it is joy, sadness, anger, or hope. Different songs can reflect the stages we are going through in life. For example, there are certain songs that give us the feeling of nostalgia and bring us back to our childhood. Music allows us to process emotions and experiences, turning our feelings into something meaningful. When there is a song that plays during an important moment in our lives, we don’t think of that song in the same way. A song that can seem ordinary at first can take on a deeper meaning when it connects to an emotion we are experiencing. That is the beauty of music and the part of the journey that it takes us on. Songs can mark milestones and moments in life, helping to reflect on where we have been and what we have learned. Music allows us to express our feelings when it is hard to put into words, which is what it does for musicians. Composing or performing ...

 In reading Following the Uncharted Way: Aesthetic Journeys on Land, Sea, and Within from Kip Redick, the ending passage was of note to me, Or, in the enjoyment of a great work of art, aesthetic experience is mediated so that we come near but are still removed from the primal encounter. The primal aesthetic encounter as immediate remains a personal experience, a memory until it is communicated. Communication mediates the experience, abstracting from the primal occurrence. Through each of the various approaches in creating a work of art, the artist communicates and mediates, which might be following a well-established course, a charted way. Redick describes the fashion through which art is formed as a method to attempt to comunicate the primal aesthetic encounter that the artist undergos. This inspiration cannot reconstruct the occurence in it's most purest form, there is a level of abstraction that is created in the work of art. In simpler terms, the artist can never fully capture ...

 Being able to work on this paper throughout this semester has been really beneficial for me because it has allowed me to look at my major and future career in a different light from my other classes. As a psychology major, I am in a variety of different classes relating the therapy, therapeutic relationships, and classifying a variety of different mental disorders. However, writing this paper allowed me to identify how many different ways therapy can work, instead of just traditional therapy sessions. I think this will be beneficial for my future career, so that I can use some of the ideas and theories discussed in my paper to be able to help my clients find meaning in all the positive and negative moments they may have to discuss during their sessions. This paper has also been beneficial to me because it has shown me that I need to spend more time in nature and find a 'holding space' to be able to prioritize my mental health and figure out how to deal with thoughts I would ra...

Taylor Cole, from the University of Montana, wrote about her experience on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail and how it served as a healing journal. She has found within her research that many individuals who have completed long-distance hikes, such as hers, have experienced many psychological benefits from their hike. Hiking in and of itself serves as a form of therapy due to the calming and reflective qualities of nature. This is especially beneficial for our society since many individuals cannot afford therapy prices or medication, and many areas are also having a shortage of mental health professionals, as the statistics of mental illness have increased significantly. Having hiking as a form of therapy will eventually lead to a hopeful decrease in major mental illness cases reported in the future.

 Many people confuse the topics of pilgrimage and tourism, when in reality, they are two different concepts. David Thoreau describes how there are two kinds of people on a tour: pretenders and pilgrims, which can be linked to the idea of people on the Appalachian Trail. The 'pretenders' are people who will skip the more rugged sections of the trail and try to take the more aesthetic and easier way out. However, the pilgrims will take the trail as they search for meaning throughout the ups, downs, smooth, and rugged paths. They strive for a sacred journey and engage in walking the trail as a symbolic journey, according to Dr. Kip Redick.

 This semester we have talked a lot about different long-distance hikes, trails, and pilgrimages. This class has allowed me to analyze the different things that define how meaning is created through these long-distance adventures. We have heard from numerous different guest speakers who have experienced these trails personally and gave us their insights to their own personal experience in how these trails have given meaning to their lives. We also go to hear all of Dr. Redick's personal adventures on numerous different trails, as we continued to analyze common themes and symbols found in the pilgrim's journey.  One thing that Dr. Redick mentioned in our last class was how our years at college are our journey right now. While not all of us will have the chance to go on an actual pilgrimage, we can still take the things that we have discussed and learned and apply them to our lives at the present.  For my final blog post, I am going to discuss the various different ways in ...

As someone who has moved around a lot since I was very young, I always get asked if my parents are in the military. No. The weather industry has its employees move around a lot more than one would think. I have lived in eight different states during my twenty years alive, including four of the states while I was under six years old. I have had my fair share of different journeys throughout all these different states, and the connections I made in these different places have truly made me who I am today. Since I moved so much during my transformative years, the people I met and befriended throughout my childhood truly impacted me in ways I would never have guessed. The connections I have made with people, just like those on the trail, have allowed me to blossom into the best version of myself.

 While many people embark on the Camino de Santiago in solitude, some individuals decide to embark on the journey together. This can be seen through two hikers by the trail names of Tortoise and Hare. They are a couple who wanted to experience the Camino de Santiago together. They noticed that regarding relationships that they would lose track of someone they had met on their journey, but then, when they least expected it, they would inevitably reconnect with them in the same town. This just goes to show that the connections made on the trail will stick with the hikers throughout their journey and even further on than that.

Dr. Kip Redick, in Journeys to Disney and the Camino de Santiago , describes how pilgrims were thought of as the first tourists. He also describes how these pilgrims go to a sacred space. Because these pilgrims routes are composed of communicative places where they are able to reorient themselves and reflect. This space has a variety of symbols that refer to shared existence and beliefs of people, and usually, people will reflect and reacquaint themselves with their beliefs at places that act as a temple or sanctuary. Having a place to be able to reorient is how many individuals who embark on their long-distance hikes will treat their time on the trail as their temple of guidance and reflection.

 During the pandemic, I used nature as a huge source of guidance and peace. I got diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression, and I ended up being quarantined for roughly two years because I am immunocompromised. In order to deal with these immense emotions, I turned to going for a couple mile runs throughout the forest in my backyard. During these runs, I would let out any lingering emotions I had, and I would spend time focusing on the thoughts I had buried in my head throughout the day. These runs became so peaceful for me that even when I run now, if I am not running as a therapeutic relationship, I still end up feeling relaxed and more at peace. Taking these runs in the woods allowed me to feel safer in my thoughts since my brain thought that because I was in the woods, no one could hear me.

 The Firebird is a ballet choreographed by Michel Fokine to music by Stravinsky, that premiered in 1910. The storyline is based on a Russian Folktale  The ballet begins at the edge of Kashchei's (a powerful, evil sorcerer) magical realm. Prince Ivan Tsarevich is a wanderer who happened upon this place, where he finds a magnificent creature with glowing flame-like feathers, the Firebird. Ivan captures the Firebird. She pleads with him to set her free, and out of compassion he does. As gratitude, she gifts him one of her magical feathers. Eventually Ivan discovers that he isn't alone. Thirteen beautiful princesses emerge from the palace in a round dance. Ivan watches them and falls in love with Princess Tsarevna. He reveals himself and finds out that they being held captive by the immortal Kashchei who turns any rescuers into stone. His love for Princess Tsarevna has Ivan vowing to save them all. At daylight, he follows the princesses to Kashchei's palace and is immediately f...

Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert is a tennis strategy book that teaches tennis players how to win matches not by hitting incredible shots, but by thinking smarter and being mentally tough. Players improve the most by learning from mistakes, adapting to challenges, and pushing through frustration. Gilbert emphasized that the process of becoming a great tennis player is a long journey. Progress is not going to be fun all the time, but it builds persistence and self-improvement. These struggles are where real growth happens. Gilbert stresses the idea that meaning comes from how you handle adversity, not from playing perfectly. Reading this showed me that it is ok if I do not play perfectly. No one is going to have a perfect match every single time, and that is part of the journey. While playing a match, I learned to find meaning in the bad matches, emotional challenges, and tough opponents. Meaning is not found in the perfect moments, but rather in the “ugly” ones. The process of having cons...

 A hiker, who goes by the trail name Mama D, describes in her trail journal about how impactful hospitality was on her journey on the Camino de Santiago. She wrote about the connection, spirit, joy, and gratitude she was enlightened with during her journey. She believes that people on the trail are blessed by all the connections that they make with people throughout their journey. People innately strive to create and maintain relationships, whether platonic or romantic, so it is necessary for individuals embarking on any sort of long-distance hiking journey.

 Hospitality is one of the key factors of many pilgrims' journeys. Dr. Kip Redick discusses how liminal spaces can connect with the idea of hospitality. Liminality is described as being intertwined with symbolic and ritual action. One way that pilgrims will partake in the idea of liminality is through visiting trail houses and the different towns that they will see during their journey. Each town has its own unique and special feel to it, and pilgrims will be able to experience a variety of different types of symbolic spaces throughout their journey. The best part about it is that these trail towns are very welcoming to hikers and want to be able to show them their culture and lifestyle to add some variety to their journey.

  I noticed that I have a habit of sitting in my car for a little while before going inside, even when I am tired or ready to be done with the day. I turn the engine off and just sit there in the quiet. Sometimes I watch the steering wheel, or I look at the way the light hits the dashboard. It feels like a small moment where the world stops asking for anything. I let myself breathe, settle, and think. It is almost like I need the space between arriving and entering, a moment to gather myself before stepping into whatever is next. I never used to think much about it, but lately it has felt like a small ritual that keeps me grounded. We have talked about how journeys are not just big dramatic paths. They are made of small transitions, tiny thresholds, and moments where we shift from one part of ourselves to another. Sitting in my car has become one of those liminal places. It is not the destination and it is not the path. It is something in between. That pause helps me notice how I a...

  I read a piece about why so many people keep re-watching their favorite TV shows over and over and how it actually helps when life feels messy or overwhelming. Experts say that familiar shows give you comfort because you know how the story ends and you know how it will make you feel. When I re-watch a show I love instead of starting a brand-new series, it feels like a little break from chaos. I’m not trying to adjust to new plots or strange characters. Instead, I slip back into a world that feels safe. In that moment, I’m not chasing novelty. I am just breathing. Sometimes after a long day of classes, work, or stress, that calm is exactly what I need. This idea connects deeply to what we study in class. Our course talks about pilgrimage not only as grand journeys but as a series of small steps and moments of presence. Re-watching a show becomes its own kind of personal ritual. It gives me a chance to reflect. It gives me consistency, especially when my own life feels unpredictabl...

  I read a Carnegie Mellon article about how breathwork and mindfulness apps are helping people manage stress and feel more grounded. The research showed that even a short breathing exercise can lower anxiety, calm the mind, and help people feel more in control of their day. When I tried one of the breathing practices myself, it surprised me. I realized how rare it is for me to slow down enough to feel my own body. I am usually jumping from one task to the next, and the moment I paid attention to my breath, everything got quiet in a way I had forgotten was possible. This connected very strongly to what we have learned this semester. Meaning comes from being fully present in the world and paying attention to the moment you are in. Thoreau talks about walking with awareness, and Redick explains that journeys transform us when we let ourselves be open to them. Breathwork felt like a small practice of that same idea. It reminded me that I do not need a long trail or a dramatic trip to ...

This book is about a girl, Tessa Dickinson, whose life flashes before her eyes when she gets in a car accident and loses her eyesight. Doctors warn her that she might be blind for 100 days. Tessa is scared and feels her entire world collapse. Writing and blogging were part of her identity and her happy place. When she loses that, she is scared that her life is meaningless now. A boy named Weston becomes a source of comfort and encouragement. He makes her feel like life is meaningful again. Over time, Tessa’s feelings of anger and despair slowly transform into appreciation. With Weston’s help, she is able to rediscover the world, not through her sight, but with her other senses. She is able to “see” the world from a different perspective. When Tessa is about to gain her eyesight back, Weston is scared that Tessa is going to think of him differently when she sees his disability. Tessa has to decide if she can see past physical appearances and embrace what the journey of blindness taught ...

  I opened the dryer the other day and only one sock came out. The other one was just gone. At first I got annoyed because it felt like one more thing going wrong for no real reason. But as I stood there staring into the dryer, I started thinking about how often this happens in life. Things disappear. Plans change. People drift. Sometimes it happens fast and you do not get a clear answer. The missing sock felt silly, but it also felt a little true. Life does not always stay neat or balanced. Sometimes you are left holding one lonely sock and wondering what happened. This small moment reminded me of what we talk about. This class shows us that a journey is not supposed to be perfect. Pilgrims lose things along the way and those losses become part of their story. The missing sock made me think about how I react when something small goes wrong and how I could see it differently. I realized the journey is not about keeping everything together. It is about paying attention to what the m...

  When I joined Captain’s Emergency Response Organization  at CNU, I thought it would just be another campus role. I wanted to learn how to respond in emergencies and to feel helpful if something went wrong. But once I started training, I realized it was quietly reshaping how I moved through campus. We learned how to stop a bleed, how to stay calm in chaos, and how to read a scene with full attention. It surprised me how much presence that required. I had to be in my body. I had to look at the world around me instead of rushing past it. That is when it clicked that CERO was becoming part of my own journey, not something extra in my schedule. We talk about journey as something that teaches you how to see. Pilgrims walk with intention. They are aware of the people around them. They learn to listen. They learn to respond. While our class looks at long distance trails and ancient stories, CERO gave me a modern version of that. A kind of campus pilgrimage where every hallway, sidew...

I read an article called “Waffle House: America’s All-Night Stage,” and honestly it made the place sound even more chaotic than I already knew it was. The writer describes Waffle House as a 24-hour crossroads where pretty much anyone might show up. You get bored college kids, sleepy truckers, random celebrities, and sometimes a naked guy with an AR-15. The article lists a long timeline of strange events. There are fights, arrests, meth-spiked drinks, people giving birth in the parking lot, and customers losing it over things like sausage biscuit prices. It is unhinged but also kind of fascinating. Waffle House is an everyday diner, but it is also a stage where the strangest parts of American life show up without warning. And somehow everyone still ends up eating the same hash browns like it is normal. As wild as all that is, the article also talks about how Waffle House feels weirdly equal for everyone. Anyone fits in. Everyone is welcome. You sit at the same tables and get the same fo...

 A Russian Folktale titled "Ivan the Fool".   A summary is as follows: Ivan is the youngest of three brothers. The older brothers are considered ambitious and clever but are guided by greed and social status. Ivan is looked down upon because he is naive and simple minded. Ivan goes on a journey where he discovers his own meaning through experiences that teach him kindness and courage. He develops an intuitive wisdom that is void of the greed and power his older brothers seek. While on his journey, he helps both animals and strangers, without expecting anything from them. He faces tests that measure his moral character but receives help from magical beings because of his kindness. By the end he has gained a sense of purpose and deeper understanding of himself. This Folktale contains many of the themes we have discussed this semester. Ivan's older brothers are representative of people who are deeply rooted in the marketplace and seek only external wealth and status. Ivan, h...

  I read an article called “From Job Hunt to Personal Diary”: Is LinkedIn becoming the new Facebook?” which talks about how people are starting to use LinkedIn to share honest stories instead of just polished career updates. They post about failures, burnout, big life changes, and the moments that shaped them. It feels very different from the old idea of LinkedIn as a place where you pretend everything is perfect. What stood out to me is how this trend mirrors the way we talk about journey and meaning making in class. People are trying to understand their experiences by writing them out, almost like leaving markers along a path to remind themselves where they’ve been. The article made me think about whether online spaces can really help us grow, or whether they just create another performance. Still, I can see why people want to share these parts of their “journey.” It gives them a way to step back and reflect, even if it happens on a screen. And maybe that’s not so different from ...

      I think a lot of people in the world are good at appreciating others, but how many people can say that they also appreciate themselves and praise themselves the same way that they praise others? We always talk about journeys in the way that you go on a physical journey and tend to ignore the mental and spiritual journeys, but what about mental and spiritual journeys that last our entire lives? A lot of my choice blog posts have focused on journeys that last a long time and are harder to measure than more traditional journeys. I think that's because I've been thinking more about last impact and journeys rather than sudden meaningful epiphanies. I suppose I am thinking this way because I want to take these lessons to heart and attempt to mold my life with these ideas in mind. Because it is one thing to journey with an end goal in mind, but it is another thing to journey with the blind belief and confidence that you will be able to continue without being able to see or...

One of my favorite books I have recently read was Make Your Bed by Admiral William McRaven. It is a motivational book that shares life lessons McRaven learned from Navy SEAL training. The main idea is that small daily habits build discipline, resilience, and success. McRaven uses ten lessons from his military experience to show how simple actions, like making your bed, can create a sense of accomplishment and structure. One of the key lessons he shared was “Start your day with a completed task (like making your bed) to set the tone.” I relate to this a lot because I always have to make my bed every morning. I like starting my day off with a small task already completed, and knowing that I can come back to a space that is ready for me. No matter how chaotic or stressful the day was, I know my bed is made and ready. I like having that sense of order, stability, and accomplishment before the day even starts. This book emphasizes how life is a journey filled with many challenges, failures,...

"Finding Meaning While Steeping in the Camino Cauldron" written by Dr. Kip Redick The discarded image is the belief medieval pilgrims held that they needed to strip themselves of all habits, sins, preconceptions, and identities that defined their "old self".  This acted as a symbolic "shedding" of their old life, in order to open themselves up to interior spiritual transformation. It aided in purifying the pilgrim on their journey so that they could return home more Christ-like and spiritually attuned. Additionally, the discarded image broke down the hierarchical social status medieval serfs were subject to, allowing the pilgrim a sense of freedom and a sacred purpose while on the journey. No pilgrim on the journey was better or at a higher status than another. In a world where everyone was born into a status that defined their entire life, this had a significant impact on the medieval pilgrim's self-image and meaning of his life.  While not all modern...

      I think everyone at some point in their life has played sports, whether that is an organized competitive environment or a casual gathering of friends and family. To play a sport is to embark on a journey, but not just by yourself, when you play a sport you embark on a journey with those around you. Well, you usually do in team sports, in non-team sports I suppose it is more individual. But for those team sports, you are not just journeying for yourself but for the good of everyone as a whole. While you may practice on your own time alone to improve, you improve with the hope that it can make everyone better as a whole. It is this blind belief in one another and in your efforts that lead to better results. This type of journey, though, is similar to an everyday journey because it can be difficult to truly see your progress but it is always there. 

      Can a journey be repetitive? Can it be a journey if it doesn't have an end goal or a time limit? I believe it can, and I believe a prime example of this is going to the gym. We go to the gym to be in better physical shape but there is no true end goal to this. You can make the statement that I want to just get a 225 bench and then stop there but there are always bigger fish. It makes you wonder what really the point of going to the gym is, why do we do it? I believe that we do it because it is not about reaching an endpoint when it comes to these journeys that require daily practice. It is about being better than you were yesterday and that in itself is a journey. I think this is because a journey doesn't just have to be something that you do once and then look back on for yours, but a journey can be both that and also something that you willingly participate in every day if you have a true goal. This also doesn't just apply to the gym but maybe things like getting ...

  The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost When I was thinking about readings that I should reflect upon for this class my mind immediately went to the Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken”. Why you might ask? Journey and Meaning Making is all about the decisions you make in life that lead you to where you are in your journey, and a poem about choosing between two paths is the perfect reflection for that.  Frost states; Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; (lines 1-5) This is the first decision compilation that many people have ground themselves on when think about what to do on their journey. As they can see that the path ahead has multiple way but they are not sure which to take. Though Dr. Redick's discussion I have learned your path will find you as long as you let it but that is hard for many people as letting the spirit take control of ...

Put yourself in the shoes of a general manager that was given one of the lowest budgets to be recorded in in MLB history. Now create a team that is going to take you to the division series and have the team with 20 straight games in a row. This is the story of Moneyball and how one man took a franchise from essentially being impoverished to one of the most competitive teams in the MLB. This book is based on a nonfiction encounter with a man named Billy Beane who became the general manager for the Oakland A’s and had to take his franchise from having little chance of success to a team that people didn’t even recognize.  This story is very prevalent in all of our lives. We must understand that, regardless of the circumstances in our journey, we must play the cards that we have been given in order to succeed in meaning making, which is how Beane plays his cards. There is a lesson to learn about the drive and dedication that one man had to continue on his path to making a difference on...

      Recently, I have been playing a lot of Minecraft with my friends on a server. Minecraft is one of those games where you can play and play and play and never get bored, or you can play for 5 minutes and get bored. This is because Minecraft is a sandbox that allows you to do whatever you want, however you want. It's crazy because your options are unlimited, and sometimes people just can't figure out what they want to do with no direction. That is why I think Minecraft is one of the best artistic representations of the journey out there in the world. Everything you do has an immediate impact on the world and you can clearly see overtime, how your impact on it molds and transforms it. Minecraft is basically a game where you just tread over the same ground again and again. Much like life where you are in the same place for a long time, however, the world around you is constantly changing - a mirror to the real world. It's difficult to express just how symbolic this game ...

I reflected on Jason Ray Carney’s Rebellion in the Age of AI , and it made me think about how much artificial intelligence has become part of our world. The world nowadays is controlled by technology, with endless swiping and false realities. Carney argues that smartphones and technology can ruin our experience with the natural world. It takes us away from human thought and reflection. He said our chance for rebellion is right now, and we have the opportunity to slow down and be completely present. I wonder what the world would be like if we didn’t rely on technology as much as we do. One of the ideas that stuck with me was his belief that literature can be a form of rebellion. He suggests that we should let books and stories carry us into the future. Literature gives us a space to reflect, question, and think deeply. He insists that we must take advantage of this time because it is urgent. It is important not to let technology control our lives. It can be a huge distraction, takin...

One of the more important aspects of my term paper included the idea of nature and its impact on our journey in life. When we notice nature all all that it has to offer us, we can begin to realize that it must be reliant on a much greater power, such as God. My spiritual connection has hence increased since my time in nature because I am more aware og God’s creation in all that he has done for us. One poem that I found in my research that related closely to this front was a Japanese Haiku written by Matsuo Bashō called "Six Haiku". This poem emphasizes the emotional and spiritual connection that we have to nature. Bashō states;  in the twilight of dawn a whitefish, with an inch of whiteness (line 13-15). This over analysis of nature shows the human nurture of such values, as those who look deeply into all around us will see the details of God’s creation. The spiritual aspect comes from the appreciation of nature itself. This is because we accept that nature is nurturing to us...

      My final outside reading is one that I initially planned to use on my final paper as evidence for my thesis; however, I decided to cut this source out of the paper because I did not believe it to be as strong as I had originally thought. This specific source was posted on possiblitychange.com, which, when compared to first-hand accounts of people climbing and surviving Mount Everest, is not really the same quality. The reading was also much more of an article rather than a source, which is what I was after. I still think that it had some good points, but it resembled something that I would see in a newspaper rather than cited in a final paper. I think my choice to cut it from my essay turned out to be the correct one and I am happy that I made the decision to go ahead with it. 

This class talked about different people’s journeys while on a long hike. Talking about the Appalachian Trail reminded me of one of my favorite memories from freshman year of college. During the fall semester, I went on a hike with my friends where we hiked the Shenandoah. We woke up right at sunrise and went on a hike that took over six hours. It was definitely a fun experience where I learned a lot about myself and the people I went with. While on the hike, we ended up going the “wrong way” and took the alternate route. This route had us going straight uphill for over an hour. It was very physically taxing, and we were all getting really tired. We did not get to see the view that the trail was supposed to take us to. Instead, we saw another view that not many would have been able to see. We ended up stopping at a peak in the trees where we had a “wow” moment. This experience relates to how being “lost” can end up being an unexpected, extraordinary thing. As other readings stated, you...

     This blog post is going to be pretty general, as it is related to the research that I did for my final exam when it came to Mount Everest. I was initially distraught because there were almost no firsthand accounts of climbing out there that were free and easy - like trail journals for the Camino. Luckily for me, I was able to find the copies of some of the books on the Internet Archive in time to use them for my final paper. These first-hand accounts of climbing Mount Everest were really intriguing because they directly supported the thesis that I was trying to argue for in my final paper, which was so useful. I think of the three first-hand accounts I ended up finding, the most useful was Beck Weathers and his 2000 story of Left Behind,  where he is left to die on Mount Everest by himself. I think that is a particularly powerful story, and when I found out that it was able to support my arguments for how meaning is made on the journey, I was so excited. All in ...

    Another one of Dr. Redick's essays that we read this semester was his work on looking at the relationship between Disney and the Camino, or rather contrasting them as examples of the idea of pilgrimage vs. tourism. I really like this article because I really didn't know if there was a difference between pilgrims and tourists at first, or at least I thought that basically all pilgrims are tourists, but with an additional purpose, as they are still trying to get around and see stuff the same way tourists are. This essay was interesting because for once, I wasn't wrong but rather I had hit the nail on the head. Dr. Redick described this growing trend and actually remarked about how new pilgrimages had started to non-religious places like Disney World. I thought this was rather interesting because it is something that I have noticed, where lots of people tend to visit tourist religious sites for sightseeing, and new places tend to adopt meaning in ways that might not be rel...

I reflected on the Pilgrimage in the Midst of Pandemic , and I realized how different the idea of a pilgrimage became when the world shut down. Going on journeys was disrupted and altered when the pandemic hit in 2020. A pilgrimage is usually a physical journey, but the idea of “pilgrimage” had to shift. People were forced to look inward instead of outward. The pandemic created a sense of stillness. Without the typical distractions or routines, many had to face questions they often avoided. Sometimes, the journey is an emotional and spiritual one when life becomes uncertain. This connects to how meaning is created through the challenges we experience while on a journey. What stuck with me the most was the description of this unexpected shift. When we can’t move forward, we have no choice but to move inward. Another part that stood out to me was the idea that a pilgrimage is about transformation. Even though people were stuck at home, there was still room for meaning-making and personal...

 In reflecting on this class, I feel like I have learned a lot, but I feel that I have gained more practical ways to think about life than I would have expected from any class here at Christopher Newport University. This class has allowed me to think outside the box about my college years and how important the connections and relationships I make during these four years are. It also allowed me to reflect on my freshman year, which I feel like was mostly wasted because I was very sick, and I was not trying to connect with anyone. However, this course has allowed me to understand that the time was not actually wasted, but it has also allowed me to see how much I have truly grown in such a short amount of time. I look forward to continuing to view undergrad as its own journey and seeing how that will soon compare to life in grad school and then eventually the post-grad life. Thank you so much for a wonderful class!

 Albert Schweitzer was a philosopher and theologian from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. He is no stranger to making meaning through journeys because he is known for working as a medical missionary in Africa, and even won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 for his efforts. The following quote is used in relation to how people will find meaning in the communities and relationships they create on the trail. "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person...Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." Connections are one of the main ways that individuals will find their meaning on their journey, especially on the trail. They will visit trail houses and meet a variety of different individuals along the way who will inevitably help them establish meaning for their journey, as well as help them uncover things about themselves that they may not have realized going into their journey.

This class has allowed me to reflect on what it means to make meaning, and I relate to this a lot when I am playing a tennis match. Some of the readings we discussed in class talked about being in the right state of mind. My coach and BeMindful success coach always emphasize the importance of staying in the present. We have to be in a flow state in order to reach our maximum potential. Being in a flow state allows us to fully focus on each point, with no distractions. I have a hard time thinking too far ahead or dwelling on the past points I have lost, making it hard to focus on the point I am about to play. It was just recently in college that I was able to realize how important it is to be in a flow state, or what my coach likes to call it, the “4-6 range”. If our mind is in this range, we are in a good state of mind. If we are above or below it, that can cause our minds to spiral, and we can struggle to fully be in the present. This feeling of being in a flow state connects to the i...

      I read this article studying our brain on extreme endurance - specifically the world record Camino de Santiago time - because Dr. Redick sent us the link, and I was hoping to find something in it I could use for my final paper. While I didn't end up finding anything that I believed would relate to my thesis, in hindsight, I actually think I may have been able to use it. Alas, I have already turned in my final paper and I did not use it. This article was genuinely insane because it was all about what happens to the brain on extreme endurance. It turns out the brain actually shrinks during periods of extreme endurance and so I began to wonder what really extreme endurance meant. Obviously, the brain will consume itself for fuel when you are running every day, but what about walking every day? Does it still count as extreme endurance when you walk 15-20 miles every single day? This question prompted me to do some research on Google, and I found out about this thing cal...

 In society today, artificial intelligence has almost become a second-nature necessity to many people and professions. However, Jason Ray Carney writes about how studying fields in literature and philosophy has now become a radical act due to the usage of artificial intelligence. He uses his writing to encourage people to step out of the box and rebel from the complete reliance on technology. While technology has advanced our society, people have become too reliant on it and have strayed away from allowing themselves to slow down and fall back on traditional ways of doing things. More specifically, Jason Ray Carney uses his writing as an encouragement for people to push themselves to at least take a class on literature and philosophy. He encourages people to get invested and interested in literature and the fresh ideas and perspectives it can have, instead of just sitting all day doomscrolling through TikTok.

In class, we watched a documentary about a group of people who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is a very long trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada. It is known for its diverse scenery, including deserts, forests, and mountains. We got to hear people’s journeys as they hiked this, and all of the challenges they experienced. It emphasized that life is a journey that is stripped to its core. We live each day prioritizing things, but how do we prioritize life? This question really stuck with me, and it is important to think about because people get so caught up in many distractions that they lose sight of what is truly important. One of the hikers stated that he felt he could do something bigger after he failed, and that is why he goes hiking. That is how he makes meaning out of it. One of the lessons I took away was that we need to be flexible. It is very important that we do not quit the trail on a bad day. One bad day does not define the rest of your life. They also emphasi...