Well as I was taught as a youngster, “God created man to work!” I understood that the need to be challenged and have a sense of self worth, one needed to work and be challenged.
Archery in the sense of glass laminated or even more so for primitive recurves and longbows- creates work and challenges us mentally, physically, emotionally and in the case of hunting, even spiritually.
It does not come easy, it accomplished through work and sacrifice. Yet it is more rewarding than words can accurately describe. The challenge is unlike most things we encounter in the modern world. The hunting and killing, is at first foreign and alien to us. But we soon find it as natural as breathing.
The act of shedding blood to provide food nurtures an inner part of our souls. The conflict of emotions that we go through once we harvest or kill an animal for sustenance causes us to face our own mortality and the reality of our own lives. The simple fact that death is not pretty, yet only through death is there life. That there is an interconnectivity in the circle of life. Furthermore, I am faced with with my belief in Jesus Christ and His ultimate sacrifice for me.
Archery, is a part of my life and a part of me. It has brought the reality of life and death into focus. I carry the lessons of archery and hunting into all aspects of my life. It does not define me, but I am a better person, a better husband, a better father, a better friend, a better employee, because of archery.
Topic: Whats archery mean to you? (Read 1576 times)
