On Thoreau and Fishing
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a philospher and a naturalist of note. He was also uniquely American in his philosophy and his outlook. I can only wonder what it would have felt like to hang out out with Thoreau. His comment on fishing , " Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after " certainly has the ring of truth for me. I have never caught many fish, but I have done some serious and relaxed cogitation while waiting for a peripatetic fish. People fish for different reasons and when I catch a fish it only adds to the pleasure, but I fish for reasons other than catching fish. To me that is the whole point of fishing.
Nice post Paul. Fishing is a sport for thinkers!
Posted by: Ginger | April 30, 2007 at 01:47 AM
Those fish are excellent thinkers - I didn't catch one !! :)
Posted by: Paul | April 30, 2007 at 05:33 AM
My husband is an avid fisherman. He definitely fishes for reasons other than catching a fish. :)
Posted by: suzanne | April 30, 2007 at 10:41 AM