Hunting and Fishing are Meditation

As a kid, meditation was not something that I was interested in.  Now I wish that I could spend days in the woods or next to the water.  As a child I did spend days at these activities and looking back, during these periods, I was at peace with nature.  It just seemed right!  I never really considered it, but these were some of the most relaxing times of my life.  These activities provided me plenty of time in silent self-reflection to develop myself. 

Now I see so many kids on medication to “help them” with their personalities and to “calm them down.”  My experience with my own children is that if you can get them outdoors, they will adjust themselves.  My oldest son is homeschooled and I know that when he spends time hunting or walking his dog, he is able to come home and settle in to his schoolwork much better than if you just wake him up and set him to it.  Our youngest son is even more hyperactive but he can take a fishing pole down to the creek and stand still for hours.  In my Scout Troop, I have parents “warn” me about their kids and then when I take the kids out in the woods, they do great!

It may be a relatively small sample group, but my observations lead me to believe that we really don’t need to be giving our kids all the medications that are prescribed these days.  Instead we should be taking them outside, in nature and letting them find their own interest and constructive ways to expend their energy.  I know that if you made me sit in a class room all day, I would have a hard time.  Honestly, hunting and fishing are great examples of active meditation, which improve a person’s ability to develop themselves.