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WHY?
"This too is vanity. For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!" The Holy Bible ? Ecclesiastes 2:15-16
From the vantage point of three score and six years much of what passes as the good life appears to be vanity.
Travis:
I know why you when fishing and hunting, through all the past 66 years, you heard the same song that many have in their lives. You heard that inner song of the "Singing Wilderness", a place you could go to lockout all of civilization, and spend some quiet time doing absolutely nothing of great importance.
I read the "Singing Wilderness" written by Sigurd Olson (Ely, Minnesota) in the 1960's. I have that book on my bedside table for when I cannot get to sleep. It has been a great help as forgetting those things in my life that I do not have any control over, and help me escape to a place where nothing really matters, except being there. Even when I cannot go to the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness that Sigurd Olsen was most credited for, I can still read about it in his book. It is almost as good as being there.
I will share a single paragraph from one of the short stories that the book is comprised of....
"The movement of a canoe is like a reed in the wind," . "Silence is part of it, and the sounds of lapping water, bird songs, and wind in the trees. It is part of the medium through which it floats, the sky, the water, the shores."
Sigurd Olson, had a place near Ely, that he called the "Listening Point" where he when to spend sometime thinking and refreshing his soul. He never wrote when he was at his "Listening Point", because that would have defeated the purpose of being there.
I am 62 years old, so I fully understand, the world has gotten smaller, and there are few places to go, for forget and to recharge you soul. ~Parnelli
If you do not have the "Singing Wilderness" in your library, it is still available on the the internet for purchase.
This may fit into what you're saying Neil.
Out Fishin'
Edgar Guest
A feller isn't thinkin' mean,
Out fishin';
His thoughts are mostly good an' clean,
Out fishin'.
He doesn't knock his fellow men.,
Or harbor any grudges then;
A feller's at his finest when
Out fishin'.
The rich are comrades to the poor,
Out fishin';
All brothers of a common lure,
Out fishin'.
The urchin with the pin an' string
Can chum with millionaire an' king;
Vain pride is a forgotten thing,
Out fishin'.
A feller gits a chance to dream,
Out fishin';
He learns the beauties of a stream,
Out fishin';
An' he can wash his soul in air
That isn't foul with selfish care,
An' relish plain and simple fare,
Out fishin'.
A feller has no time fer hate,
Out fishin';
He isn't eager to be great,
Out fishin'.
He isn't thinkin' thoughts of pelf,
Or goods stacked high upon a shelf,
But he is always just himself,
Out fishin'.
A feller's glad to be a friend,
Out fishin'
A helpin' hand he'll always lend,
Out fishin'.
The brotherhood of rod an' line
An' sky and stream is always fine;
Men come real close to God's design,
Out fishin'.
A feller isn't plotting schemes,
Out fishin';
He's only busy with his dreams,
Out fishin'.
His livery is a coat of tan,
His creed -to do the best he can;
A feller's always mostly man,
Out fishin'.
From "The Path To Home" 1919
Once again, you have written a fantastic article that I very much enjoyed and agree with 100%! Great job!! Reading your thoughts/articles, makes me wish there was some way I could just sit down with you and really "pick your mind". You provide great insite to things and I look forward to all your writings.
Thank you
Hi Neal,
Interesting thoughts, and the Quote from Ecc. is very fitting, and one I have thought on more in recent years.
I have thought about the same question, and I think for me that it is one of those things that God gave us a propensity to do anyway. For some it competing, for others it is the desire to make things, for others it is to garden, fish, hunt, or some other type of providing for ourselves and others.
But to me, it appears that all of these activities that we love to do, all have to, as you point out, have to be non-critical to our lives.
Regards,
Gandolf
Thanks Neil for a great article. As a Pastor it is just what I needed to hear and will apply it to my own life soon as I venture out this Spring here in Maine seeking that solitude. thanks again and god bless.
Pastor Norm Jackson
jackson_norman@yahoo.com
Trav...
Yep.
Spot on. When I was out of work for nearly a year, a fly rod in my hand was the only way I could shake the worries for a time. It has always been that way with me, the break from the rest of the world is the best therapy a body could ask for.