Fishing, the great equalizer

Many sports and pastimes are virtually inaccessible to those of us who have physical or even mental handicaps.  Many sports and pastimes are also segregated along boundaries that run parallel to physical attributes and gender lines.  While the same is true for fishing, it is much less true here than in most other sports.

Clay Dyer was my motivation for this article.  If you don't know who he is, he is an American born professional Bass angler who was born with disabilities that shouldn't allow him to pick up a rod, let alone make a living in a sport clogged with incredible talent.  However, he has done just that.  His motto according to Google is, "If I can, you can."

If you know someone that you are having a hard time connecting with due to your choice of activities being limited, (or for any reason) fishing may be the answer.  In my experience, the hardest thing to overcome when getting other people out on the water is the negative misconceptions they may have about fishing.  I have written another article on this subject if it helps that is listed in the blogs section.

With all the chaos, ignorance, entitlement, division and pettiness going on in 2020, being at peace in the silence of nature stands as a stark reminder of the relativity of it all.  Someone told me once that fishing is a form of meditation.  I wholeheartedly believe this and I believe that we need meditation and perspective in our lives.  I think one of our greatest problems as a species is being so far removed from our natural environment. 

Fishing doesn't care what your religious or political views are, it doesn't care how old you are or what your opinions on Facebook are.  It won't remove you as a friend if you have a conflicting viewpoint.  If you know someone who is struggling for whatever reason, or you are struggling to connect with, fishing may be more of an answer than you ever thought.

The next time you feel like giving up or like it's all too much, follow Clay Dyer's example and overcome.