Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge - View Single Post

taggermike · 06-11-2017, 08:48 AM

Gonna get a bit philosophical.
"Contemplate one's mortality". Not a popular or easy thing to do.
But every thing dies. That is the great unifying trait of all life. The Buddhist "law of impermanence" or the Onion's ironic headline "world's death rate holding steady at 100%".
Its all the same.

I kill. Every step, breath, and bite kills. My immune system is constantly killing. I tilled my garden and ended the lives of billions. Life=death.

I don't believe being mindful of this is morbid. It helps me respect and appreciate life.

I've found 2 bodies while kayaking. 1 in the SD River and 1 in La Jolla. My family thought I should be traumatized. My niece said I could come to her church if I needed help dealing.
But I wasn't and didn't. I called the police and life guards, waited for them to arrive, and returned to fishing.
Actually less fishing and more contemplating mortality and appreciating life. All life.

Don't get me wrong, these were unpleasant experience. But what could I have done. I didn't kill them and couldn't save them.
I helped return them to their families so those that loved them could have closure.

I'm an atheist and don't believe in any life after death or heaven. These 2 people weren't alive for billions of years, they lived a short time, and won't live again.
They inhaled water which caused the chemical reactions that sustained their lives to stop due to lack of oxygen.

OK, let's go fishing.

06-11-2017, 08:48 AM	#22
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	Gonna get a bit philosophical. "Contemplate one's mortality". Not a popular or easy thing to do. But every thing dies. That is the great unifying trait of all life. The Buddhist "law of impermanence" or the Onion's ironic headline "world's death rate holding steady at 100%". Its all the same. I kill. Every step, breath, and bite kills. My immune system is constantly killing. I tilled my garden and ended the lives of billions. Life=death. I don't believe being mindful of this is morbid. It helps me respect and appreciate life. I've found 2 bodies while kayaking. 1 in the SD River and 1 in La Jolla. My family thought I should be traumatized. My niece said I could come to her church if I needed help dealing. But I wasn't and didn't. I called the police and life guards, waited for them to arrive, and returned to fishing. Actually less fishing and more contemplating mortality and appreciating life. All life. Don't get me wrong, these were unpleasant experience. But what could I have done. I didn't kill them and couldn't save them. I helped return them to their families so those that loved them could have closure. I'm an atheist and don't believe in any life after death or heaven. These 2 people weren't alive for billions of years, they lived a short time, and won't live again. They inhaled water which caused the chemical reactions that sustained their lives to stop due to lack of oxygen. OK, let's go fishing.