THOUGHTS ON PERSPECTIVE, AND FISHING

NEUROSIS IS THE INABILITY TO ACCEPT AMBIGUITY

HAVE HAD EXPERIENCES LATELY THAT ARE WEAVING THEMSELVES INTO A THEME. WITHOUT GOING INTO SPECIFIC DETAIL I HAD IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS SEVERAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH I SUDDENLY FOUND MYSELF IN NEED OF HELP, UNEXPECTEDLY. NOT EMERGENCIES, BUT THOSE KIND OF THINGS THAT SEEM TO HAPPEN MORE AND MORE AS YOU GET OLDER, LESS BOLD, LESS PHYSICALLY CAPABLE, MORE FORGETFUL, AND THE LIST GOES ON... IN EACH OF THESE CASES I WAS EMBARRASSED BY MY OWN INABILITY TO SOLVE MY OWN PROBLEM. NEARBY PEOPLE, FOLKS THAT I HAD NEVER MET, STEPPED IN TO HELP ME, WITHOUT BEING ASKED. THEY ASSISTED ME WITH THE RESOLUTION OF MY SITUATION, SMILED, AND WAVED GOODBYE WHEN I THANKED THEM. NONE WANTED TO BE COMPENSATED, NONE CONSIDERED THEMSELVES HEROES, NO T-SHIRTS WERE PRINTED, NOR DEEDS OF DARING DO SHARED ON FACEBOOK, CERTAINLY NO SELFIES WITH "THE GEEZER THATI JUST HELPED. JUST GOOD OLD FASHIONED "HELP THE OTHER GUY OUT 'CUZ HE NEEDS IT" KINDA STUFF.

MEXICO TAKES A LOT OF HEAT, PARTICULARLY FROM THE NORTH, FOR THE DEGREE OF CORRUPTION THAT EXISTS HERE. IT DOES EXIST, THE GOVERNMENT HASN'T RESOLVED SOME HORRIBLE ISSUES, AND THE PEOPLE DOWN HERE ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT. THE ACTIONS AND WORDS THAT WE GRINGOS DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL TOO OFTEN ARE ASSUMED TO REFLECT A CULTURE LESS ADVANCED THAN THAT OF THE UNITED STATES. I WOULD QUESTION THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD "ADVANCED" EACH NATION HAS ITS' OWN UNIQUE COCKTAIL OF THE INGREDIENT PROBLEMS THAT DEFINE THE HUMAN CONDITION. WHILE I'M SURE THAT IN RURAL AMERICA IT IS MORE COMMON THAT FOLKS HELP EACH OTHER, AND MEXICO CITY PROBABLY ISN'T ANY MORE CIVIL THAN NEW YORK, IN MY LIFE, HERE, I SEE MORE PEOPLE JUST BEING GOOD HONEST FOLKS THAN I EVER REMEMBER IN MY 43 YEARS IN THE STATES. COMPARISON OF THE TWO IS NOT WHERE I'M GOING, BUT GIVING PEOPLE CREDIT FOR THEIR STRENGTHS, BOTH CULTURAL AND PERSONAL, IS SURELY JUST AS IMPORTANT AS POINTING OUT AND ATTEMPTING TO LEVERAGE THEIR WEAKNESSES.

I SEE ALL TOO LITTLE OF THAT IN THE U.S. THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME KNOW THAT I AM A BIT OF A POLITICAL JUNKIE, AND SO I'M FOLLOWING THE CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL RACE PRETTY CLOSELY. I SEE SO LITTLE CIVILITY FROM EITHER MAJOR CANDIDATE, AND SO MUCH RELIANCE ON FEAR TO MOTIVATE THE VOTERS THAT I AM PERSONALLY QUITE TAKEN ABACK. I BELIEVE THAT WHETHER WE CLEAVE TO ONE CANDIDATE OR THE OTHER, THE PLAYING OUT OF THIS GLADIATORIAL CIRCUS AT LEAST PARTIALLY INFLUENCES AND LOWERS THE STANDARDS OF HUMAN INTERACTION FOR ALL OF US.

ONE OF OUR CANDIDATES IS THROWING NOTHING BUT WARNINGS OF PERILOUS RESULTS IF WE DON'T REMOVE, BAN, AND ERADICATE AND INCARCERATE ANY ONE WHO ISN'T "ONE OF US", PREACHING THAT ONLY THROUGH THE RESTRICTION, REGISTRATION AND LIMITATION OUR FELLOW MAN CAN WE RETURN TO THE GLORY DAYS OF FREEDOM THAT HE SO GLIBLY PORTRAYS IN A PAINT BY NUMBERS ROCKWELLIAN STYLE, ON BLACK VELVET NO LESS. THIS , WHILE THE OTHER WIELDS FEAR WITH SLIGHTLY MORE ELEGANCE, BRIEF GLIMPSES OF ALL THAT COULD GO WRONG IF SHE ISN'T CHOSEN, IF HER SELF PROCLAIMED EXPERTISE IS NOT BROUGHT TO BARE ON PROBLEMS SO COMPLEX THAT THEY ARE BEST LEFT TO HER, AND HER ALONE. MEAN WHILE SHE HAS A DECENT RECORD, BUT CERTAINLY ONE NOT WITHOUT MISSTEPS, GAFFS, AND OUTRIGHT MISTAKES FOR WHICH SHE TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY, NOR CHANGES THE COURSE THAT SHE WOULD LIKE TO PLOT FOR THE REST OF US.

I DON'T THINK OF MYSELF AS A UNICORN SEEKER, i KNOW THAT THERE ARE THINGS TO BE AVOIDED, ENEMIES TO BE VANQUISHED, AND SOME FOLKS LESS GOOD THAN OTHERS, EVEN EVIL, BUT I ALSO SO THINK THAT FEAR IS A CHEAP AND TAWDRY MOTIVATOR, EASY TO CLING TO, WITHOUT PROVIDING ANY REDEEMING ENLIGHTENMENT OR PERSPECTIVE. IT'S A CULTURAL BUG ZAPPER, ATTRACTING US TO THE LIGHT, BUT TO WHAT END? IT IS THE COWARDS WAY OUT, AND I DON'T WANT TO THINK OF MY COUNTRY AS COWARDLY, I DON'T THINK THAT IT IS, BUT I BEGIN TO WORRY.

FISHING ON THE OTHER HAND IS A JOYOUS THING FOR ALL BUT THE FISH. WE'VE BEEN DOING WELL, NOT GREAT, BUT WELL. WAHOO, MARLIN OF 2 TYPES, AMBER JACK, PARGON AND DORADO HAVE BEEN COMING IN DAILY, NOT SCADS, BUT ENOUGH TO KEEP YOUR INTEREST AND INSPIRE YOUR HOPES. YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD TO EITHER GET A LOAD, OR TO GET SKUNKED, KINDA UP TO YOU.


DAVID