JUSTIFICATION
I find some of my most interesting column ideas by reading the FAOL bulletin board. The threads started by our readers give me some idea about what our readers are concerned about. Recently a thread entitled “Why buy new rods?” attracted my attention. I enjoy this type of discussion because it reveals some interesting insight into basic human nature.
Justification is an interesting human characteristic. Justification is our reasoning process that allows us to find and acceptable reason or excuse for something. The question on the recent post, “Why buy new rods?” was seeking to understand the justification for buying the latest and the greatest that the rod manufacturers are advertising. It is a good question.
Socrates, when he was on trial for his life for teaching his students to question the accepted beliefs of the time and to think for themselves said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates had the option of suggesting an alternative punishment, but each of the options would have robbed him of the only thing that made life useful to him: Examining the world around him and discussing how to make the world a better place. Without his “examined life” there was no point in living. As a result of his unwillingness to accept any of the alternatives he was condemned to death.
First, let me say that I have an extensive rod collection. Part of that collection is the results of the uniting of my life with the life of a certain widow lady whose late husband was a fly fisher. Before that union I owned fiberglass rods, graphite rods and bamboo rods representing a variety of manufacturers. Many of those rods had not been fished in several years and now that collection has more than doubled. Given my age and the amount of time that I have to fish in any given year it is likely that I may never fish many of them again. Most of the rods that I owned before my collection grew as the results of my marriage to the Ladyfisher were rods that I had purchased over the years for specific angling situations. I had small stream rods, streamer rods, steelhead rods, spring creek rods, and a couple general purpose rods, so I could “justify” the ownership of each of those rods because they were to be used in specific angling situations. In reality I could have gotten the job done with several fewer rods.
When reading through the responses to the question posted on the bulletin board I found a number of reasons that some of our readers use to justify the purchase of a new rod.
There were the practical reasons. Your old rod got broken, you need a different line weight, and you needed a back up or your casting style changed. You really don’t need to justify the purchasing of a new rod if you have broken your old one, especially if it was the only one that you had. The same could be said for each of the other practical reasons – justification is hardly necessary if the tools you have will not do the job.
It was the other answers that I found to be the most likely reason that many of us buy the newest thing on the market whether it is a fly rod or a new car. One writer suggested that perception was one of the reasons that we purchase a new rod. We perceive that it will make us a better caster and it will allow us to catch more fish. Of course, as the writer pointed out, perception and reality are normally two different animals.
I believe that several of the responses were real close to the mark. One writer suggested pride of ownership was a motivating factor, which dovetails nicely with another response ego! As much as many of us may want to deny it, ego, the pride of having something that the other guys don’t have, is a very powerful motivation. It’s also possible to justify the purchase because, after all, it is the best of the best.
A couple writers suggested that the reason for buying a new rod is because you want one and you can do it. These two reasons are self-justifying. I want it and I have the ability [read available credit] that allows me to satisfy that want.
One of the most interesting comments I read was that the reason for buying a new fly rod is therapeutic. Therapeutic is variously defined as something related to treatment of a disease or something that is done to maintain health. Interesting concept.
Recently the Ladyfisher and I were discussing how our view of the ownership of things has changed over our lifetime. I grew up on a small dairy farm in the hill country of upstate New York. Across the road from my family farm was an older couple the Van Akins. Smith and Mae Van Akin had a few milk cows, and a pair of work horses. They never had a car; they did not have electricity, running water, inside plumbing, or any of those things. They were two of the happiest people that I have ever met being completely content with their simple lifestyle.
One point of genius that the modern advertising industry exhibits is the ability to create need where no need really exists. Whether it’s the automobile industry, the clothing industry, or the fly fishing industry the primary reason that we buy a new _____________ [insert whatever category you like] is because we feel that we need it. We covered the why in the previous paragraphs; real need – broken, change of use – and perceived need – ego, pride, must have the newest and best. In the war that we wage in our mind about whether to buy something new, especially when we don’t really need it, all too often perceived need will win out every time.
When it comes to buying a new fly rod, especially if you current have one that is doing the job, the reality is that a new one will unlikely be any better at doing what you are already doing with the older model. It may be a few tenths of an ounce lighter, it may be a tad bit stiffer but it is doubtful that you can really tell the difference.
Whatever reason that you have for buying a fly rod [new or used] or whatever else you buy, unless you are buying it because you have a true need, there is some ulterior motive that is driving that purchase. That’s not saying that the underlying motive is wrong even if it’s ego driven but just remember things don’t make the man – fly fisher or otherwise.