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Updated: Sunday, 11 May 2008, 23:33 (BST)

24 April 2008 | Sharer

Those who have none to share in their good fortune or their grief, none of whom they can unload their troubles, no one to whom they can communicate some sudden glorious illumination are like brute beasts. Woe unto him that is alone, for when he falls he has none to lift him up!



The man without a friend is a man utterly alone. But what happiness, security and joy to have another self to talk with! One to whom you can confess a failure without fear and reveal unblushingly some progress that you may have made in the spiritual life; someone whom you dare entrust all the secrets of your heart and in whose advice you can have confidence.



But better still by far is the fact that friendship is at one remove from the perfection that is rooted in the knowledge and love of God; for our saviour says in the Gospel, 'I do not call you servants, but friends', showing that human friendship leads to that of God.



St Aeired of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

Notes

As we walked along the Cumbrian river bank, surrounded by the startling landscape of the Langdales, we chatted about how it is that there seems to be an agreement, not common in towns, that you greet whoever passes you on the path. Why is that, we wondered?



Perhaps it's because it's easy - there are fewer people to greet out here than in the city. Or possibly it's a matter of confidence - people in cagoules on a country path being less intimidating than commuters and consumers in the city. Maybe it's anonymity - our country clothing hiding who we really are, making us all potentially equal. Perhaps it's time - there seeming to be more time for greeting and being greeted on a quiet rural walk, rather than every moment being spent on simply travelling and arriving.



Or maybe, we decided in the end, it is something else, not to do with us at all, but to do with the beauty of the path and surrounding scenery. Something to do with the journey itself: a belief that the journey matters, and not simply because of where it is leading. As we spoke to other travellers on the riverside path we were acknowledging that this is what we were - travellers sharing the same path. We may have been going in opposite directions, or walking at a different pace, but we had all chosen this path, and we indicated with each footfall our shared belief that the journey was worth making, not for the destination, but for the path itself. It was not surprising, then, that we verbalised our commonality when we met, even if not fully conscious of our belief.



After a while, we stopped to rest and sat on a bench overlooking a part of the river where the water was smooth and deep, but fast moving. A leaf became caught in an eddy, and gently dawdled wile around it the river raced on. Like the leaf, we paused.



And then we continued, nodding and greeting, smiling and agreeing that this was indeed a fine day for a walk on a path such as this.



Piers Lane

Prayer

For more information on Wise Traveller see www.wisetraveller.org.uk



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