In the beginning man was connected to one of three things. The land, the sea or the sky. All are obvious except for the sky, which would represent the spiritual. We began as hunter/gathers or so we have been taught. It is the most logical way to think about early life. It is the way animals survive in the wilderness and man is an animal. I'm certain there were those that attended to the spiritual nature of men as well, shamans or whatever name you wish to use. They offered tokens to their God/Gods for protection and for sustenance. Perhaps they were the ones not best suited for hunting and so developed other skills. Those more devoted to study than to physical action. They were the observers. I think that is true even today, there are those that are doers and those that are observers. I believe both are essential to the betterment of mankind.
I do think far too many of us have lost our connection. Many of us strive to make that connection in the modern world. Our connection to land and sea we call " sport " for the most part. Yes there are still commercial fisherman and such that ply the waters of the earth for a living but the small one man operation is a dying thing. Farmers too are becoming an increasingly lost breed of men. The commercial aspects and machinery replacing a connection to the earth itself. We are becoming increasingly distant. Our spiritual connection is also becoming tenuous, as man believes he has the explanation for most things. We got it all figured out ! But the connection is weak and so man becomes increasingly vulnerable. The vulnerability lies within our spirits, we are becoming weak. Our roots are shallow now as that connection is lost. The connection to the spiritual is vital. It has always been the last resort of man. When all else fails, pray. It has ever been so.
Our personal connection has been weakened by commerce. It is this need to make money that drives this. No longer can we survive solely by the sweat of our brows, we are dependent. We are not satisfied with just food to eat and shelter any longer. We have made our desires into needs. We have little to show for our efforts except financial gains. For many of us that just isn't enough. We attempt to replace that with " crafting " and " sport. " What many of us think of as, a diversion or simply fun, is in actuality a vital connection. It is a necessary thing. It is that which makes us human. The concept of money is manmade. It began with trade. I've got this , you've got that, I'll trade you. Then man figured out some things are worth more than others. The trade became more difficult. Somewhere along the line, someone gathered enough stuff to trade that they didn't need to actually work anymore, they could just trade. That is when money was invented. It was easier to carry around than the goods themselves. Now we have reached a point where the money is the most important thing.
Our " connection " to the earth, sea, or sky is often romanticized in modern culture. We speak fondly of the days of old. We write stories about working the land and fishing the seas. Outdoorsmen are thought of as exceptions rather than the rule. The truth is we were all outdoorsmen at one point. We have come a long way from that. A long way from the beginning. There are days when I think we are near the end. We are becoming disconnected. We are beginning to believe that we no longer require the providence of the almighty. When that connection is lost, all is lost. We should strive to strengthen that spiritual connection it is mans' last best hope.
I do think far too many of us have lost our connection. Many of us strive to make that connection in the modern world. Our connection to land and sea we call " sport " for the most part. Yes there are still commercial fisherman and such that ply the waters of the earth for a living but the small one man operation is a dying thing. Farmers too are becoming an increasingly lost breed of men. The commercial aspects and machinery replacing a connection to the earth itself. We are becoming increasingly distant. Our spiritual connection is also becoming tenuous, as man believes he has the explanation for most things. We got it all figured out ! But the connection is weak and so man becomes increasingly vulnerable. The vulnerability lies within our spirits, we are becoming weak. Our roots are shallow now as that connection is lost. The connection to the spiritual is vital. It has always been the last resort of man. When all else fails, pray. It has ever been so.
Our personal connection has been weakened by commerce. It is this need to make money that drives this. No longer can we survive solely by the sweat of our brows, we are dependent. We are not satisfied with just food to eat and shelter any longer. We have made our desires into needs. We have little to show for our efforts except financial gains. For many of us that just isn't enough. We attempt to replace that with " crafting " and " sport. " What many of us think of as, a diversion or simply fun, is in actuality a vital connection. It is a necessary thing. It is that which makes us human. The concept of money is manmade. It began with trade. I've got this , you've got that, I'll trade you. Then man figured out some things are worth more than others. The trade became more difficult. Somewhere along the line, someone gathered enough stuff to trade that they didn't need to actually work anymore, they could just trade. That is when money was invented. It was easier to carry around than the goods themselves. Now we have reached a point where the money is the most important thing.
Our " connection " to the earth, sea, or sky is often romanticized in modern culture. We speak fondly of the days of old. We write stories about working the land and fishing the seas. Outdoorsmen are thought of as exceptions rather than the rule. The truth is we were all outdoorsmen at one point. We have come a long way from that. A long way from the beginning. There are days when I think we are near the end. We are becoming disconnected. We are beginning to believe that we no longer require the providence of the almighty. When that connection is lost, all is lost. We should strive to strengthen that spiritual connection it is mans' last best hope.
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