Maybe I have a strange sense of humor, but I find it rather amusing that gigantic Cabela's, Bass Pro, and Gander Mountain shops are popping up all over the place, at a point in time when fewer and fewer people are even going outside, let alone actually fishing and hunting. It seems like every trip I take, I find at least one new, big, "hunting gear" store littered along the highway. They obviously seem to be doing well, so I have to assume that our collective ability to spend money while we pretend to be (in this case) rugged outdoorspeople is doing better every day.
I don't know why I find it so humorous; it goes right along with the large number of 4-wheel drive SUVs zipping around that have never placed even part of a tread on a gravel road, let alone really needed to use their 4-wheel drive capability.
The less wilderness and wildlife we actually have, the more we delude ourselves that we experience it. Viva le profit!
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2 comments:
While shopping at Cabela's a few months ago, I was amazed to see people snapping photos of the stuffed wildlife. They were even posing each other in front of the "taxidermied" displays!
Our property taxes were higher (again) this year, but as I was wandering down by our creek, I thought how luckly we are to have the opportunity to "breathe country air" and what a small price those taxes really are. I also thought, if only everyone could wander the country side on a regular basis, maybe our social (and emotional) problems would diminish.
My heart truly aches as I think of how so many people in this country now relate to wildlife - if it moves, kill it. They only seem to like "wildlife" when it's 2 dimensional (TV or photos)...or stuffed.
Stuffed animals make me yawn. What a waste. Why in the world would I bother taking a picture of them?!!!
On the other hand, I do get excited when I see a neat-looking (living) insect, spider, toad or bird. There are so many incredible animals in even the most mundane habitats, and the smallest ones can be some of the most interesting.
Like you, I too feel so incredibly lucky to have "country air" to breath. (I envy you your stream!) I missed living in the country a great deal down in Mobile, and I know that wandering through our acres helps me keep problems in perspective. I wish there were more places in our countrysides where everyone or anyone could go to enjoy that country air and the perspective that it brings.
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