About

This is my personal blog for my thoughts and writings mainly in philosophy. I also write prose and poetry and I will put them here as well.

At the time I started this blog, I used to go fishing. Each time it was a very special experience. Starting from the moment I grabbed my stuff to go fishing I entered the realm of thoughts. For me fishing was a way of meditation, a kind of zen at waterside. I took out my gear from my bag, started to fix my rod, placed the threads and the hook, threw into the water and waited.

Angling, that is fishing with a rod and hook, in my opinion, is philosophically superior to other methods of fishing, if there is such a thing as a philosophy of catching a fish. You can use a net, a harpoon or use electrodes for electro-fishing. In all these methods you catch the fish by surprise, they are basically hunted down. While this guarantees a sure catch, the fish is helpless and stands no chance. If you are good at what you are doing, and you will be with increasing experience, the fish will be yours. There are no choices and no alternative futures. It might not make a difference after all if catching the fish is your ultimate goal.

Now presenting the bait on a hook is different. No matter how attractive the bait looks (or smells) like, at the bottom line, the choice of biting is not yours. It is the fish that finally decides. You can sit for hours and see fish pass by, like those who aren’t hungry, those who find your bait unattractive, those who just know that your bait is fake, because they are too experienced. Your patience may or may not be rewarded with a fish. You can’t get faster than the nature and have to keep pace with it. At the end of the day, you’ll have to be happy with what you got, and believe me, you will be.

It’s been a while now since I’ve been fishing. I am testing the vegan diet for a while now and to my surprise I must say I am not missing much of my previous eating habits.

At my day job, I am a particle accelerator physicist working as a research scientist in a lab and I also teach at a university. At other times, I let my mind wander. I hope you enjoy this blog and come back often.

Xaratustrah, the Angling Philosopher

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