Monday 20 February 2012

HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

As you walk the Camino there is normally 4 questions that people ask each other.Where did you start-do you walk to Santiago-how far do you walk today and the final question that I learned not to ask was "WHY"?
The question I ask myself is why do I keep doing it,I decided this last time that enough was enough,but have felt very strange since,its hard letting go of what I thought was an addiction.
I've since been reading up on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ( as you do) and his Pyramid,the bottom layer being your basic needs safety food shelter bodily comfort ect-you then seek to satisfy higher needs-through growth-esteem large social needs love belonging and sexual ( closeness to other people) needs
I started to see a pattern and when I got to the higher points of the Pyramid-exercise activity- problem solving- spontaneity-lack of prejudice-acceptance of facts-creativity-morality-and self actualization through to sense of purpose-and self transcendence (spiritual needs) and being lost in the present (thats why a gift is called a present)
when I was younger life gave me so much,now I get older it starts to slowly take things away,thats why I first walked the Camino. I have now decided that I will continue to walk the Camino's because once you get passed the Psychobabble I reckon Maslow might have had some idea of what walking a Camino can give you

           So I walk again in April with son number 2 for 10 days only,who knows what the rest of the year will bring