There is, within the higher echelons of industrial ambition, a mind set based upon a teaching known as "Alchemy" - "If you want it enough - you can make it happen!" It is based upon driven personal improvement, to hell with the rest of society, fulfillment at any cost. Pretty sure it was an American concept, but not 100%, although it has the "American Dream" written all over it! I was completely shocked by the promotion of such, self centered, obsessional, drive and the fact that companies were prepared to pay good money to send their "chosen" employees to attend such courses/seminars.
Then the penny dropped! The idea behind this scheme is to promote, in a different arena, the obsessive behavior that is part, and parcel, of being a full-on carp angler or mainstream "twitcher". Why hadn't I thought of this? I'd be a bloody millionaire, at least!
I can tell you why, without any difficulty. Obsession is part of who you are, it cannot be taught or learnt. My desire to catch big fish or see as many birds/moths within a year comes from a place which no amount of money can purchase or define. I don't think that genetics have any part to play - it is far deeper than that. It's all about expectation and what is important to an individual.
If money is the priority, then you will have little time to enjoy the natural world, as long as there is another dollar to chase. Money is a commodity, like oil or water, the natural world is an adventure to be experienced, at whatever level and intensity, by those of us with the intelligence to know that when you die, no amount of money can go with you, so what was the point? Big house, fancy car, drugs and gambling - what could possibly be the allure when there are fish to be caught and birds to be seen? Each to their own, I guess!
Who am I?
- Dylan Wrathall
- An individual, of no great importance, who is unable to see the natural world as a place for competition. I catch fish, watch birds, derive immense pleasure from simply looking at butterflies, moths, bumble-bees, etc - without the need for rules! I am Dylan and this is my blog - if my opinions offend? Don't bother logging on again - simple!
Obsession then Dyl! I had to check up on the definition of the word to see if I qualified. Seems I do. That's a surprise, I always assumed obsession involved a great deal of action, whereas the definition seems to apply to thought processes.
ReplyDeleteWhat I lack is that nervous energy which enables people to drive themselves physically into the ground whilst pursuing a goal.
I've had to adapt and work around this affliction, but now that I've escaped wage slavery, I can breath easy. And do nothing. If I choose. Which I often do.
Nice to hear from you mate. I think of obsession, within the birding/fishing context, as a stage through which to pass in order to reach a state of mind where you are able to look back and see the pointlessness of that whole, ridiculous, charade and move forward driven by the quest for inner fulfillment, not adrenaline! Getting old helps, of that I'm sure, although LGRE does put a spanner in works of that particular observation. Hoping all is well? Dyl
DeleteDyl, in a way I miss that intensity that once came with catching a fish or seeing a bird. It wasn't even a case of wanting to do either, it was more a feeling that one's life was measured by how well one succeeded at these things. It really mattered.
ReplyDeleteUnbalanced!, extreme! perhaps. But then again, how else are great achievements extracted without sometimes operating at this level?
I understand now the guy who told me that competitiveness is considered an infantile character trait. I thought he was wrong, that life was competitive. It is, but mature people co-operate within the competition. We grow out of it, well, some do.
Nothing strikes me as undignified as a fiercely competitive OAP.
Ric, not much else to add to that. Peer group pressure and the perceived failure/success thing is very much an age biased concept. In my youth, such things DID matter - growing up has shown me the error of these ways, enjoyable as they undeniably were. Today I fish, bird watch, run a moth trap, purely to please myself, certainly not to compete with my neighbours! Take care and stay safe - Dyl
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