I heard the greatest summary of fishing the other day.
Even though I am not a fisherman, I can appreciate the words and the meaning of this explanation.
The man said that fishing is a state of mind; that when fishermen gather to fish, they don’t see race, gender, religious beliefs or national origin………they see other fishermen!
Isn’t that cool?! And I can see that it is true! Even not having been fishing or with fisherman at a lake or river, I can see those people whose passion is fishing absolutely believing this sentiment.
He went on to say that their only concerns were the weather and what the fish were doing. It is unique in this activity that anyone in this world can gather with a fishing pole or other fishing equipment and join any other group of fishermen regardless of the world situation at that time.
There could be war between two races or nations, but if you gather half a dozen fishermen from each side, you could have a peaceful gathering with no death or violence.
Wow! I see that he’s right; fishing is the great equalizer……...............
The man went on to say that fishing teaches three things: patience, tolerance and humility.
Wow, again! The three things needed for peace in this world of ours! I can see it takes patience to wait on the fish to bite or the weather to clear or to get to your limit. This is not easy especially for someone like me who can’t sit still for more than the time it takes to type this column!
And patience is necessary in working with others including one’s enemies.
Tolerance is the first step to peace. When two sides are fighting, before anything else can happen, one or both sides must ‘tolerate’ the other. They must change their view in order to allow for a second step and a third step and so on. One must ‘allow’ another person’s beliefs and attitude in order to make peace.
Without humility, no one will ‘win.’ One must know that the quest for peace, like fishing, is not personally about “Number One!” It is about the process or the ‘bigger picture’ in reality. If one is willing to let pride and hubris fall away, then peace has a level field.
A fisherman knows this by his experience. First, one must realize it will take time and be in the moment with the fish. Then, he must tolerate the situation in the water, on the shore, in the boat with the fish; and finally, he must be humble and know that fishing isn’t about him any more than peace is about a piece of paper.
It is about the fish and the world at large………………………
I am stunned by this revelation! As quaint as it sounds – and I truly believe this – we all should take up fishing and use that experience in dealing with people in our lives. I know that bickering and wars would soon be gone from this world…………………
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I also discovered some fun three minute videos that are the project of filmmakers to highlight the unique passions of people across the country. For example, “Greengirlpress.com” is the brainchild of a woman who dropped everything to be a printer; she does it all by hand and equipment of yesteryear. It’s fascinating stuff!
You can find all these videos on Hulu.com/cinelan. Happy viewing!
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I usually don’t plug cable series but I discovered a Saturday night series from Turner Classic Movies. “TCM.com/essentials” has a list of all the ‘essential’ movies that are being screened by a duo host of Drew Barrymore and another guy I don’t know! But they comment on and introduce the movie each time. It may sound cheesy, but it’s not!
And TCM has chosen the movies carefully from all American movies ever made (Foreign, I don’t know) to give the view what these films say about us as a society.
Maybe not a regular thing, but you never know what you will learn and no matter what you will get to watch a GREAT movie!
