RUSKIN'S UNCENSORED SKETCHBOOK
Once upon a time, I crossed the pathway of an illustrator. He could not make a living out of his sketches so he ended up pocketing a degree in administration to take the reins of a family business: They maintain travel lodges for the hunting season in the winter and fishing season in the summer. I had noticed his emotional intelligence and touch for humanity. He does not neglect sketching human misery even if means that it sometimes makes him uncomfortable and brings sadness to a day.
I asked: «Why study drawing?»
He responded: «I was a sensitive kid and noticed that I would decompress by drawing. Most boys my age would play video games or fight. Although I was healthy and strong as a kid, I was more withdrawn. Drawing kept me out of trouble but also enabled me to reach my feelings as a boy. I was not only intrigued by beautiful things in life but also by human suffering. For example, my first sketch at school was about a kid crying because of bullying. I then found courage to denounce human brutality by showing my sketch to the teacher. It helped me mature quicker than normal kids. My family had a business in nature so I was used to being isolated for prolonged periods. I was not into sketching scenery. Fast forward, my wife and kids say that I be careful what comes out of my mouth because I tend to think when I illustrate and never use my crafts to mock or harass people.»
I asked: «Who is Ruskin?»
He responded: «John Ruskin was a gifted man who liked to sketch historical buildings. He advocated for social and political changes. He had a modern and egalitarian approach to gender and social classes. His drawings cemented the foundations of the innocence of a watchful eye. He did not sit on his family's wealth and became a respectable man.»
I asked: «Is the outdoor haunting-fishing business a lucrative venture?»
He responded: «It depends on the climate, the economy and many other factors. It takes a couple of generations and impeccable reputation to make a travel lodge lucrative in the long-run. There is down time between seasons. It will never become an essential service. I only took the reins of the business towards the end of my career so I do not rely too much on my family business as a source of income. Besides, hunting is an expensive licensed activity mostly passed through tradition. Fishing is much less expensive and more oriented towards family leisure but it does require patience and knowledge.»
I asked: «Hunting rhymes with firearms and fishing rhymes with knives. Have you faced harmful events in your lodge?»
He responded: «Yes! The legislation regarding firearms and weapons is strict in this country. There are rigid rules when it comes to storing and transporting these objects. Some citizens disobey and I do contact authorities in consequence. Some people try to intimidate me with the size of the weapon whenever they are not satisfied with the service provided by the lodge. Obviously, alcohol and the use of substance increase the aggressiveness of an individual. I noticed that people feel empowered when they appropriate themselves a weapon. The problem is that it does not always create the right mental reaction and sometimes people become dangerous. Just like many sectors, we have good clients and bad clients.»
I asked: «Have the occupants in your lodge been involved in accidents?»
He responded: «Yes! We have seen a wide range of accidents and incidents: death from heart attacks, people getting lost in nature, people dead from hypothermia, hunters mistakenly shooting other hunters, hunters inappropriately disarming or arming their firearm and causing harm to themselves, arm and hand cuts from knives, graffiti, etc…Sometimes, things get atrociously bad when people play dangerous games in groups that sometimes lead to violence.»
I asked: «Can anybody open a hunting-fishing lodge?»
He responded: «No! There are many regulations. I noticed that most lodges are passed on through generations while others close. The younger generation is no longer interested in the tradition.»
I asked: «In your opinion, is there a rise in political stands in some countries?»
He responded: «Yes! There is a rise in fascism and far-right extremism. Many countries are undergoing an identity crisis and stagnating economies. They are launching new forms of protectionism policies.»
I asked: «What is your input on the current turmoil in the Arabian Peninsula?»
He responded: «It's a heartbreak to see a couple of million people living in the streets exposed to death through bombing, dehydration, infectious diseases, and starvation. If the international humanitarian community is raising the alarm about a nation's survival then the end cannot justify the means. It takes a toll on one's mental ability to survive while the brain is not being fed essential nutrients. I see a new country, known to be one of the most inbred groups in the world who has been in exile for many centuries, providing dissimilar humanitarian standards in contrast to civilizations who have been around for several hundreds of years. Deep down, I think they abhor all nations around them. It makes me wonder if the new nation would declare Middle Eastern food and mummies an existential threat because their ancestors have spent their existence living in ghettos all over the globe. Now, I see a ghetto style leadership dictating the governance of a country who yet prefer to deny the root cause of assaults and terror attacks in their land. I see a very complicated emotional stance between wealthy and affluent business leaders, from the ethnic group representing the new country, who seem to sustain the illusion that the new country became the Middle East Club Med. I am not sure they would agree with the policies of a new country had they been embedded in its society on a daily basis. I think people need to look at the new nation at a different angle because it is composed of people born, bred and raised with firearms: The only way to deal with a son of a firearm is to use the same guidelines and policies that apply in a shooting range.»
I asked: «Are you concerned about the North-American liaison?»
He responded: «Yes! A country cannot be a participant in a war and a mediator. I do not see how a powerful nation arming all citizens of another country, located in a different continent, are capable of advocating for peace. I think it is disgraceful to indulge in a dead-end game: Weaponizing everyday people to play cowboys with real guns and regress their intellect to a kindergarten playground.»
I responded: «Thanks for a wonderful lesson in Ruskin's Uncensored Sketchbook!»