Environmental Fascism
In the new world we have become the masters of our own destiny. We believe that we know it all. Science is fact and human beings rule the planet earth and even beyond. For many years now I have seen a huge increase in environmental elitism, we have the highly educated science people who through data and research seem to know everything about the planet and how it works. If you look at the thinking behind this new form of self esteem its full of theory and ego. Growing up as many people know I was fascinated with rivers and I spent most of my childhood chasing the silver dream. I spent all my childhood living on a dream. All I wanted to do was catch a salmon. That's it, nothing else, I felt that when I caught a salmon it would make my life complete. Thinking back if it wasn't for the anglers that I listened to growing up, today I wouldn't be the person I am. I learned to become an optimist, when you spend hours apon hours on the river bank without catching you learn that life isn't really about what you know but about what you don't. There is an old song with a lyric that goes like this, "Music saved my life". I can certainly say that I believe that angling saved my own life. For it was the optimism and hope that dragged from the gutter, not once but a thousand times. The same hope and optimism that I learned on the river bank through my childhood years! You can do it all, perfect bait, perfect location, perfect timing but you cant put the fish on the hook!
Most of the people reading this blog would have come through my Facebook page, Dingle Peninsula Fishing, the reality of that page is that its nothing but a hindrance for me. People think that its some kind of egocentric form of identity. The page started with three photos. The photos were of rivers unknown to the world. I can safely say today that them rivers are now known to the people that wanted to know information on them rivers. I started the page because I felt the lack of passion and guidance available to the anglers and hunters that wanted information on the Dingle Peninsula and Kerry was not acceptable to me. All I have done is opened up a portal of information on what I knew and what I was shown by others. Through working on the page I have witnessed all sorts but over the last five years there has been a dramatic change in the attitude of people. Today the separation within the community of anglers is immense. Over the last few years I have been trying to understand the mentality behind this form of thinking. Why the separation? Why the constant barrage of name calling and abuse seen online? What I have learned is the separation is not just in the fishing community but all communities.
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| Banna, Sunset, 2016 |