Saturday, August 28, 2010

In response to a question....

Hi Casey and Norseman,
With a good nights rest and a somewhat clearer mind I've given the question some thought. After yours and Norseman's pieces and their comments have been fully digested I've come to add my tuppence worth, although I'm probably the least qualified in experience to add to the discussion here!
The people that I follow or indeed do myself the greatest of honor in following my ramblings all seem to have a common thread in their lives no matter what they blog about, and that is a deep, sometimes understated, love of the outdoors and of mother nature. My reasons now for blogging have surprised me after the initial tentative escape into this blogosphere which was in all honesty supposed to be filler to while away some time whilst I recovered from an operation and was unable to pursue my love of just being ‘out there’. Now far from filling in some time whilst I wait to be outside the blogosphere has become an important piece of being ‘out there’, it’s where I come to learn from others about many different aspects of the out doors and also about being more environmentally aware and friendly (although I think you all know that I’m not some ‘away with the fairies’ eco warrior). Without the information shared and lessons taught by so many of you I for one would have been much less of a person, even in the short time that I’ve ‘been here’.
So for me the fact that so many genuine people share their out doors has been of terrific benefit to my awareness and understanding of what is truly out there. As to the question ‘by highlighting the outdoors do we, in around about way, encourage its demise?’ It’s a difficult one, yes I love the outdoors and I love the solitude that it offers at times. Yes I hate to see sign of man upon the trails that I walk because usually the sign is discard manmade detritus polluting pristine areas. So do I want to encourage people to get ‘out there’ crowd my walks and despoil the trails with their rubbish? What I want to do is share with people the wonder and beauty of nature, to encourage them to feel the wind, rain, sun and frost on their faces, to smile as the smallest of animals grace them with a fleeting glimpse as it pauses, crossing the paths ahead, to stare open mouthed as a falcon ends it’s vertical stoop clutching that unlucky pigeon in it’s talons, to hear and feel deep inside the call and pull of the buzzard's cry as it circles the thermals above, to feel the peace and at ‘oneness’ when sitting or standing in a sun kissed forest glade whilst nature flows around you. If I and others can impart these feelings into just a few people and they respond by looking at nature with open eyes and in awe of her, then maybe, just maybe they will walk the trails taking want they need, whether that be food for the table or food for the soul, showing this natural world the respect and awe it deserves and once their journey is done and they sit beside their hearth there is no trace of their passing upon the trails, no man made crap to pollute the woods, no discarded filament to snare birds along the river’s banks, no stench of an discarded carcass left rotting, its spirit taken for ‘fun’ then its body not used for the table, and no desecration of the wild and wonderful places that are still out there.
So for me the simple answer to a less than simple problem is yes; write your tales of the outdoors, talk about the wonder and awe felt ‘out there’, share with and teach others the shear joy of being at one with nature and if just one more person changes their views and actions to respect this fragile world then it’ll be a start because I’m damn sure that with the writers and outdoor people, folk certainly far more capable than I, here on this blogosphere more and more will become more in tune with the outdoors and nature and show it and her the respect it deserves.
Well so much for a five minute comment, time to ready myself for tonight’s ghost shift upon ‘the grind’, till next time thanks for reading and take care.

Your friend,
John

14 comments:

Casey said...

Very well put John. A noble cause it is, I'm feeling more and more, to try to bring another, even just one more, responsible person to feel just how special the outdoors is, and how it should be treated.

I started out this blogging thing with this "goal" in the back of my mind, and after almost 2 years of it, still think it is THE reason I should continue.

Thanks for your input (and the link)!

Take care -

Casey

murphyfish said...

Cheers Casey, Like I said earlier in the week I'll be dropping you a line soon.
John

Anonymous said...

Well said sir. You are definitely qualified to expound upon the subject. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Mark Kautz said...

Hi John. Happy Saturday Morning (in California). I wanted to make a small comment on you 8/24 post. You said "incompetence of management and the ineptitude of some of my co-workers". Just wanted to let you know that in the 40 years I worked (you know I'm retired) this was always there, no matter what company I worked for. We understand your frustration.

I think I'm going to invent a bag that can be attached to your belt while fishing, so you can pick up the pigs garbage with one hand and smack him with the other. Think it will sell?

Mark

Bob Mc said...

A hard question to answer. I hate crowds and crowded places. To camp in a place surrounded by other people, or to meet others in a group along the trail is akin to blasphemy in my mind. I’m constantly looking for those out of the way secluded places; and yet I like to correspond with friends and like minded people about the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen or experienced there. I recently got a wakeup call concerning the things we post on the internet, and who might be reading them. I had no idea that anything I might mention in my blog might turn up in a Google search. Not long ago I made an entry in the blog about one of those secluded places, and I gave the name of it. Shortly thereafter I received an email from a fellow some 300 miles south of here who was also looking for an out of the way place to spend a back packing vacation. No one that I knew or had even heard of before, but my blog turned up on a Google search and he was asking me for specific directions about how to get there.

Another case in point that may or may not work out well. Just a couple of days ago I received an email from someone who had read my blog. Not one of the regular followers, and in fact my blog had been past along from a friend who had read the blog; I have no idea who. As it turns out, this person lives just down the road from me and now wants to accompany me on some of my trail rides. Keep in mind that anything you post on the internet, anywhere, is open to the public and to public scrutiny. That may or may not bode well.

Anonymous said...

Very eloquently put, John. I try to lead by example, and, hope and pray that someone, somewhere notices what I am doing and have done. I very much look forward to your writings and stories of the outdoors in your piece of this earth. I have learned something from every one of them.

R. Gabe Davis said...

This is why I call my self the Envirocapitalist. I believe the only way to conserve the natural world we all love so much is to bring more people in to the herd. The more people that value the outdoors the more likely they are to preserve it and not turn it into a strip mall. Simple economics really. If a pristine walkway is in demand then people will figure out away to protect it. If we become much more of a minority, the masses who do not understand why we like sleeping on dirt, chasing woodland creatures, or just walking around to see what we see will pave the wilderness and tame it into a water park or riverfront resteraunt. Glad to see more like minded people who see that keeping the outdoors to ourself could be a bad move. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

John Going Gently said...

nicely written
John
you write very well

Anonymous said...

I happened to stumble here from recently stumbling onto to Norseman's blog. (Lots of stumbling going on there!)

Just wanted to say, "Well said!" and that I'm looking forward to reading through your blog to catch up! Always good to find a blog like this.
~Kayoteguy~

murphyfish said...

Hello Kayoteguy,
Well now that you've stumbled here I hope that I can make feel welcome enough to stay awhile.
Regards,
John

Gorges Smythe said...

Had no time to read tonight, btu I'll be back; your blog looks interesting.

murphyfish said...

Look forward to your return Mr. Smythe

Gorges Smythe said...

Well what do you know; i really DID make it back! Being the grumper I am, I want to tell you that your narrow page, white on black text is a bit troublesome for an old geezer like me whose bifocals need changed. Now that that's off my chest, I want to compliment you on your blog. I've always said that those who truly know and love the outdoors are often tongue-tied poets at heart. Folks like you manage to make that partly untrue by loosening your tongues to good purpose. Now that I'm a follower, I'll be looking forward to more of your posts.

murphyfish said...

Welcome back Mr. Smythe, I hope that I'll keep your interest peaked enough so that you may indeed purchase those bifocals.
Regards,
John