There is no breed in the world like the fisherman.
I thought about this yesterday as I walked M down by the marina, the dock being lined with fishermen casting out their lines.
It's a pointless feat here. You can't/shouldn't consume the fish because the water isn't clean enough for safe fishing.
They sit for hours, waiting patiently for a nibble.
After struggling to reel the fish in (and some of the catfish are quite large), they examine it, and then proceed to throw it back into the water. The fish swims away, perhaps a little traumatized, but otherwise unharmed.
So the cycle continues...fish for several hours, catch a fish, throw it back into the water.
Not only is a redundant "sport", I'm not convinced it's even a sport! How much finesse and talent does it take to stand there with a pole in hand, waiting for something to nibble on the bait?
Perhaps it's not in the action that the talent lies...it's in the inaction. The patience that is cultivated from waiting, the ability to sit for hours at alert...it all combines into developing a fisherman's attitude.
The fisherman's attitude is this--the next catch could be gold. The next fish reeled in could surpass all weight and size records. The next fish reeled in could make for a solid dinner. Even though they may throw the fish back in, they settle down and wait for the next one, displaying endurance.
We aren't always like that in our attitude toward life. Sometimes we don't want to wait for the right "fish". We may become impatient, wanting instant gratification, unable to learn the art of casting off repeatedly.
I believe we can learn from fishermen. Even though it may not be a real "sport".
I thought about this yesterday as I walked M down by the marina, the dock being lined with fishermen casting out their lines.
It's a pointless feat here. You can't/shouldn't consume the fish because the water isn't clean enough for safe fishing.
They sit for hours, waiting patiently for a nibble.
After struggling to reel the fish in (and some of the catfish are quite large), they examine it, and then proceed to throw it back into the water. The fish swims away, perhaps a little traumatized, but otherwise unharmed.
So the cycle continues...fish for several hours, catch a fish, throw it back into the water.
Not only is a redundant "sport", I'm not convinced it's even a sport! How much finesse and talent does it take to stand there with a pole in hand, waiting for something to nibble on the bait?
Perhaps it's not in the action that the talent lies...it's in the inaction. The patience that is cultivated from waiting, the ability to sit for hours at alert...it all combines into developing a fisherman's attitude.
The fisherman's attitude is this--the next catch could be gold. The next fish reeled in could surpass all weight and size records. The next fish reeled in could make for a solid dinner. Even though they may throw the fish back in, they settle down and wait for the next one, displaying endurance.
We aren't always like that in our attitude toward life. Sometimes we don't want to wait for the right "fish". We may become impatient, wanting instant gratification, unable to learn the art of casting off repeatedly.
I believe we can learn from fishermen. Even though it may not be a real "sport".
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1 comment:
The act of fishing is meditative. It is an act of patience. It is also a way to commune with your ideal of omnipotent power. Your "Maker", if you will. The amount of patience it takes to sit for hours, waiting quietly, doing nothing else, waiting to see if there really are other life forms out there. Until you try it and can learn to simply "be", most people will never understand the beauty of fishing, never mind "Catch and Release" fishing.
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