Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: March 2008

Walk away…

It all started out so well. At the end of January former food company boss and dotcom businessman Mark Boyle walked away from Glastonbury with a light rucksack and a heavy burden of expectations. His intention was to walk from Glastonbury, on through Europe and into India, completing his journey at Porbandar, the birthplace of Ghandi, on India's West Coast. Clearly this is a demanding task in itself. However, for Mark the stakes were considerably higher. In his rucksack he had a small amount of clothing, some plasters and a knife - but no money. On his journey he resolved to carry neither money nor credit cards, relying instead on what he called 'the kindness of strangers' for food and lodging. He explained to reporters on the day he left hat he 'had a lot of faith in humanity'. The aim was to prove that communal living and so-called freeconomics can defy the odds.

In the cold light of day it appears that his faith may have been misplaced. His trip from Glastonbury to the coast was relatively successful, and he met up with two companions for the journey to France. He even managed to get a ferry crossing without breaking his 'no money' rule. However, once in France his inability to speak the language meant that most people dismissed him as a freeloading backpacker or an asylum seeker. On February 28th he had to abandon his journey (see BBC News story). Telling reporters that he and his companions were 'pretty much out of food, hadn't slept in days and were really cold', he headed for home. His 9000 mile journey was over almost before it had begun.

There are many reasons for which the scheme foundered - some of which will doubtless give Mr Boyle pause for thought on his next trek, around the coast of Britain. An inability to speak the language meant that this strangest of schemes would be especially hard to explain. Some might argue that his wide-eyed optimism was foolish. Can a man from his business background really believe that we can go back to a society where all trade and exchange takes place without the need for cash?

Underneath the comments and the sniggers, there will be a deeper unease, though. This will be moderated only by the fact that his scheme failed on the other side, rather than this side, of the channel. We like to think we are open and hospitable people, but our actions are often governed by fear and suspicion. When a man like Mark Boyle, who fails to fit so many bills, turns up in our street or on our doorstep, we are unsure what to do with him.

The expansion of the early church depended greatly on the giving and receiving of hospitality. Without the 'kindness of strangers', the gospel would not have gone beyond Galilee, let alone beyond the Holy Land. In part this was born of necessity, but also born of an uncomfortable awareness of what a raw deal Jesus received on earth. Despite being the Son of its Creator, he had to 'make do' from beginning to end, literally. He began his life in a borrowed feeding trough, and ended it in a stranger's tomb. Along the way he never had any house to call his own, moving on constantly as a restless pilgrim on a mission for God. In opening their homes to each other, the early Christians were doing what they wish they could have done for Jesus.

If you have the opportunity to show kindness or generosity to a stranger today, what will govern your actions - fear or optimism?