SwittersB Contemplating a Wind Knot (SwittersB)
“I’m not sure I see any new trends but amplifications of a couple of existing ones. First, the continued Balkanization, or specialization, or fracturing, or whatever you want to call it, among fly anglers. The Internet is the ideal medium for the like-minded to find one another, and so I think the various fly-fishing subcultures—tournament bass fishermen, carp anglers, steelheaders, backcountry saltwater fishermen and so on—will continue to define themselves more distinctly and vocally.” Ted Leeson at MidCurrent Article
Chasing One’s Tail..the circular thoughts that play through the mind as one sorts out the trends and habits of fly fishing. On the one hand, most FFer’s fancy their selves as independent thinkers and individualist. We, at the same time, are vulnerable to marketing and ‘must have’ acquisitions. We strive for a uniqueness to our look, but go to a trade show and their are common looks once we’re all under the same roof. We castigate those that would shape us to conform to the old, yet saturate the internet with a sameness that shows conformity to an image, a way, a style. How to get to that core pursuits sans the distractions and conformist based forces?
Is it just the same dynamic as in any endeavor where men gather? I suspect it is. I raise this as my own little circular, internal puzzle. Not to steer anyone toward a response. It came about yesterday, as I was having a discussion with a nurse, while hooked up to a heart monitor (don’t worry fans, just routine testing). The nurse was discussing her young son’s love for all manner of fishing. I offered up my blog as a means of discovering more about fly fishing and fly tying.
Later, I wondered about the diversity of the site. The randomness of diverse thoughts amongst the blogroll. Would it be confusing for the young mind left to his own devices? Well, I got into that circular argument of what if’s and how about’s. In the end, I decided, that is life on many fronts, in many endeavors. We are subjected to forces that guide us, steer us, push us, pull us, play us. We must sort through that and hopefully end up seeking joy, peace, energy with a rod in hand, a fly enticing and a fish or two nearby deciding. A simple equation we often seek, in order to avoid the random thoughts that distract or the ‘like minded’. Sorry if I distracted you.
