12/7/15
In the book, Image and
Pilgrimage in Christian Culture, Turner discusses this ideology called “communitas.”
Communitas refers to the very spirit of community. In a large sense, it is
considered an unstructured community. Hierarchy is irrelevant in communitas,
power structures do not exist. Communitas connects human beings to others in a
newfound community. It is an essential and generic human bond.
During one’s pilgrimage, communitas is easily formulated.
Individuals completing their treks meet people from all over the place, with
different religious affiliations, different races, different backgrounds, etc.,
that are now a part of this new thru-hiking community. And while these people a
part of this community may be very different and unalike, they are now all
alike in that they are enduring the same experience together: long-distance
hiking. They are all now equal.
As a result of communitas, individuals acquire new
friendships and partners that have endured the same conditions while completing
the trek. The people a part of the communitas receive an enhanced understanding
of others that may be entirely different from oneself. They can also now more
easily relate to those that have different characteristics than themselves. In addition,
being involved in this sort of community teaches one how to perform and work
with a group to complete a shared goal (completing the pilgrimage.) Overall,
communitas is an extrememly essential component of the long-distance hiking
experience.
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