Sport and Pilgrimage: Cyborgization versus Spirituality

Abstract

The basic problem of contemporary sport is the question if some boundary of growth exists. If growth of records is possible ad infinitum, or if we have to crash on any boundaries. New terms as ”transhumanism” or ”posthumanism” denotative situation where the human personality try ”to make better” his/her being through the techniques by overcrossing a horizon of (natural) humanity. When the human being stays at boundary of his/her possibilities at maximum achievement, he/she looks other ways leading to victory: doping and technique. However, both lead to dishonor of human naturalness, both squander the potential of authentic existence in sport framework and both to try escalate effort (to give victory) at cost of mounting of technical artificiality to human-they lead to the cyborgization of sport. Contrary, the pilgrimage by its spiritual aspect Leads to deepening of human being’s naturalness. There are many words on a continuum from tourism to pilgrimage for this activity: hiking, wandering, sauntering, journeying.... Some of them are closer to profane activities from the point of view of the way of human being (with the cognitional or enjoyable and pleasant aspects of traveling dominating), while some of them are more closely related to the sacred path (and in this case, spiritual interest is more important for the itinerant). This paper wants to show that pilgrimage is not only a topic of religion or history and even that religious passion is not necessary for such a journey. The pilgrimage should be viewed as some specific way how to use the ideals of sport in personal level. Palmer is a person who is open for landscapes, for the spiritual level of genius loci, for the agency of a scene. An opportunity for us in sport studies (kinanthropology), leisure studies (recreology) or tourism is in the stressing of the possible deeper levels of traveling rather than just taking pictures at visited places or shopping for souvenirs. Sensitivity toward nature is just the kind of spirituality without religious attitude which is often connected with human movement. Walking as such could be a good way to explore physical and movement spirituality.