A lot of things are said to bring a person contentment. There’s meditation and yoga, there’s eastern mystical philosophy and religion, and then there’s love and laughter. Personally, I think fishing should be added to the list. Since getting the outboard motor repair on my boat, I’ve been contemplating the art of fishing more and more. I’m evening thinking of writing a book about it entitled The Path of the Mystic Fisherman. Fishing connect us to nature in ways that we as consumers in an advanced society have forgotten. Through the act of fishing, you’re once again an extension of the earth around you, and just a small part of the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Our food, water and sustenance still comes from the earth, we’ve just lost touch with it, and fishing reminds us of the reality of life.
Aside from this connectedness you get with nature, fishing is much like meditation and mindfulness in that it brings you back to the now. It’s a skill that one needs to develop, especially in this frivolous world of short-attention spans and instant gratification. When you’re out in the wild, with nothing but your boat and your rod, that’s when your mind slows down, you learn presence, patience and experience true peace. It’s these profound benefits of fishing that I feel are grossly underrated.
Soon I’m going to go and get my friends to help with the outboard motor servicing. Melbourne marine fabrications can custom make the parts to suit your fishing needs. This is important to my meditative, holistic take on fishing, because a poor design can really mess with the feng shui. You don’t want a misplaced aluminium bar interfering with your tranquility, jutting into your state of calm like a crooked spanner. Aesthetics count for something, but that’s another book altogether…