Art of fishing Or Fish net philosophy

Fish nets

I am sure you have seen some fishing. Maybe in the habit of doing it for some relaxation. There is some excitement watching someone catch a fish, maybe because of its inherent unpredictability. However this article is not at all about fishing. Yet I would talk about it a little bit more as otherwise it would be boring. 

Fish net

There are many ways to catch fish, from using a fishing rod, to use gigantic nets, bottom crawlers and dynamite. There are plenty of YouTube videos about fishing as well. Which again ranges from how to make a pretty amazing fly to using a harpoon. I can remember we just used our hands to catch fish in fields and streams. Plenty of time spent doing just that, and we collected these tiny fish into a bottle. Sometimes just to release them back, or take them home. 

But commercial fishing is often done using nets. The fish we catch in these nets, depend on the size of the eyes of these nets. Generally small fish nets have small eyes, and ships use larger nets with big eyes. I have seen fishermen mending their nets when the sea is too rough for them to go on fishing. The idea is not to catch smaller fish, so the baby fish can survive to keep their population growth without disturbing biodiversity. And this is why nets are better than bottom crawling or using dynamite where everything moves tends to get killed.

More fish nets

What can you catch with a fish net?

Now I have given enough background on fishing, we can talk about some philosophy. I am fascinated with the concept of nets. It has a great meaning. Imagine you want to catch something which moves. Maybe it's a fish, a butterfly or a mosquito. Maybe a moving car or a dropping parachuter or an airplane. A net is a good idea. What else is moving and difficult to catch? I would say thoughts! And information. Just like fish, they appear and disappear often faster than we need, unless we have a good net we would not be able to hold onto them. And this has great implications. Often modern methods of textbook reading and studying subjects have utilised this idea of creating a net before actual fish catching. And we call it skimming, pre studying etc. 

Fish net philosophy and mindfulness

Is this the only way we can think about a net? Maybe not. Once I was told by a professor when we study we need to make a good scaffolding. And to retain something better it is essential we understand core concepts which serve the purpose of a net. And this is true for any learning. Starting from kindergarten. First few years after birth we have been building our scaffolding. With sounds words colors pictures. And without this basic net we would never be able to catch any fish. As the eyes of the net becomes smaller and smaller, we are more capable of catching smaller and smaller fish. Eventually knowledge of atomic and subatomic particles. But during this process of fishing for new knowledge and concepts, we forget that it is all due to the first net that we built. It is interesting as when I look at the first few nets in life I understand that these are just imagination. Such as our number systems, English alphabet, time etc. Are totally imaginary in basic form. In Fact it is amazing how these things are created in the first place as it feels impossible and magical. This idea is captured into a world famous children's book by dr Suess “The cat in the Hat”

Not fish nets

I like to challenge myself as if there is something called a true net at all. Is there some truth in anything I have been told all these years, from my parents, teachers and countless mentors? Maybe it is wrong to think like this, to challenge a formal education and religion. But I think it is important for anyone who Is willing to understand themselves before death happens, to question the origins of all human problems. Is it this unfortunate process of weaving nets from day 1 on earth, creating all the happiness and sadness you experience today? At Least that is a good fish net to weave before choosing to be mindful tomorrow.