God’s Will and the Ocean: Episode 70

God’s Will and the Ocean
True Father Speaks on: Tuna Fishing and the Way of Life, page 226-228
July 5, 1984, Morning Garden 

The New Hope is a slow boat. You cannot fish for eight hours and then come back. It takes time to go out and come back. Actually, you don't get a full eight hours of fishing unless you go out very early and come back very late, and that is what we usually do on the New Hope. The One Hope is much faster; it is much better than the New Hope for all kinds of fishing. You have to show that this is the case. I have confidence in you and know that you can do it.

You have to study and then apply the principles which you find. The one who tries the most and also studies the most is the winner. Study the high tide, low tide and mid tide. These are three typical times in which you have to try and discover what kind of results you can get. According to the depth and terrain, you go out and fish. You think, "Oh, this is the area where the fish are." And then, when you go out, you catch nothing. Don't just run away. Fish there all day and see what happens at different times of the tide. You have to consider all the factors when you are out fishing.

The striped bass is an extremely difficult fish to catch. I had an experience last year for three hours in the middle of the night when they were in a frenzy. At that time, you can't think of going in for any previous appointment or plan. Just forget about anything else except catching them because when they are eating, when they are biting, that is your opportunity. However, if you planned poorly, you might run out of bait. What will you do then? You cannot run into the store at three o'clock in the morning.

Well, this is what happened to us and we had to find a place at 3:00 a.m. last year. We had to look for bait. Someone had to go and do that. They had to knock on the door above the bait shop where the owner lived. Since the owner was a pro fisherman himself, he understood why we had to do that. But what if you don't have a place to go to and get more bait? I had already caught a lot of striped bass that day. Most people would have given up at that time and said, "It's been a good day and we caught more than anybody else, so let's go in." However, I didn't do that and after we got more bait around 4:00 a.m., we kept fishing and I caught still more striped bass.

Setting a record is very important. It is important for yourself and it is meaningful for the people in that area. When you set a record for striped bass in some area, people recognize you for what you've done. They respect you. What happens when they respect you? Well, they come to you and discuss where to catch a lot of striped bass. They want to know where you fish too, but you don't have to say as much. They may take you to their best spots, and you can then take them to one of yours. If you can set a record with one fish, you can gain of fishing experience in just one year by sharing with other fishermen like that. However, if you don't have any kind of record, they will never tell you much of anything. For example, I have an unusual story about fishing in Alaska last year. One man had led us to some far out retreat where there is some very good fishing. I asked him, "Who is the best halibut fisherman out here?" He and some of the other men there pointed to one fellow and said, "This guy is called Red. He caught a 400 pound halibut last year. He is the best fisherman in this area.”

Then I replied, "Oh, that's a lie." I said it so seriously that I really agitated the man named Red, and he got so angry that he took me to the best spot on that first day, just to prove that he knew where the good fishing was! I also proved that this man knew a good fishing spot, because I caught a 100 pound halibut on the very first day. After that, I gave him full credit and this put him on cloud nine. At the same time, I showed him a better way of fishing for the halibut and this really impressed the other fisherman. With my method I caught twice as many as the others did. It had to do with time. I was able to work much quicker and save more time than the others. I didn't reel in the line like the other man, but pulled it in just like a tuna line. And then, when I put the line back out, it went out much faster than the reel as well. By sheer mathematics I caught more halibut.

At the end of the day, they asked me about my method. I tried to explain it to them, but they didn't believe it right away. When I argued with them, they were impressed. They had already tried fishing like that, but the line always snagged on them. I had studied that too, but I had found a way to do it so that the line wouldn't snag. I showed that technique to them and they agreed that I had brought a much better result than they had.

This is why you have to study things. You have to assume something and then try it. That's what keeps you going. Assume something and then prove it. That's what makes you men and women. There are many different kinds of fish, but each fish has different habits. You have to come to know these habits. You have to research and study. Don't just sit there. Study, practice, and make an effort. You have to put in a lot of time and give a lot of effort. It is like this for everything.

Witnessing is like that. You have to put in a lot of time. That is the first thing. At first, you might not get much result. So then, you have to study what you are saying and who you are talking to. Apply this principle and put in a concentrated effort towards accomplishing your goal. Don't you see that this is just a basic principle that prevails throughout your life? It isn't just for fishing that you learn these things this summer. Once you learn this principle down to your bones, you will never forget it. What you learn here can go with you into anything, anywhere. If you learn something by doing it, you never forget. What about the person who doesn't want to study, research, and give serious effort to something? We cannot have much hope for him. You have to remember that what begins small now has a big difference later in your life. If you pick up these habits now in your young years, later on in your life you will become somebody. However, if you keep on living without investing yourself in this way, studying and applying the things you learn, in thirty years time, you will be nothing.

I have lived in an intense way all the time. There is nothing that doesn't interest me. Fishing is just one area for me. I am not just a fisherman, am I? Yet, I became one of the best fishermen around. This is because I apply the same principle to everything in life.