How many people now say that if you want to achieve something, you need to stop going with the flow and, against fate, do everything to get your material or non-material happiness... Western psychologists and business coaches unanimously insist that you simply must take take your life into your hands and fight fate to the last drop of mental health. But turning to Eastern philosophy, we see directly opposite statements. And here the question arises: “Who is right?”

The truth is always there. Everyone should choose a method that is close to them. But before you make a choice, you need to carefully analyze this is a run from something or towards a specific goal. And the main thing is to realize that “going with the flow” is not necessarily a generally accepted inert state without aspirations.

Ways to go with or against the flow:

1. In the generally accepted meaning, to go with the flow is lazy, inert, lacking initiative.

The “beauty” of such a movement is obvious: a person is not to blame for anything—it’s all “evil circumstances.” Not only does he not go against fate, he generally stops going with the flow over time, although the illusion of activity remains. Without noticing the lucky chances offered by fate, without taking any action, a person simply waits for the “promised” happiness to fall on him. The river of life throws him out sooner or later, at best, into a quiet backwater, where he flounders, and at worst, into a swamp, where he remains dissatisfied with himself, fate and everyone around him.

2. Too actively swim with the flow of life, actively try different currents, look into all the backwaters and flounder without respite.

Like a blind kitten poking its nose in search of a lucky break that leads to happiness. This often happens from excessive curiosity, fear of missing out on something “mega-important,” the inability to hear oneself, or the lack of intended goals. It’s a rather energy-intensive way to go with the flow towards the final goal, considering that only a few achieve what they want and completely by accident.

3. The greatest efficiency will be with conscious movement with the flow.

It is important to understand the main thing: in order to sail somewhere you need to start moving somewhere, and the same is true for achievements in life. First you need to decide on your desires and goals. Choose the river bed to which your Soul is drawn, and not just what is fashionable. Set intermediate goals for yourself and a schedule for rowing (your actions to achieve).

Going with the flow consciously means:

with eyes wide open - observing and studying every turn, so as not to miss yours, studying all the possibilities, but not rushing into each one thoughtlessly

avoiding the whirlpools - letting go of emotions and not focusing on annoying little things

participating in the movement - all the time doing something, improving, learning something useful to achieve

4. “Against fate” or “swimming against the tide” is the most difficult option for moving through life.

It doesn’t matter if this happens because of stubbornness, the conviction of the need to overcome obstacles, or the desire to then cry into someone’s vest about injustice - such a desire to move against fate inevitably leads to depression and nervous exhaustion.

Does going against the grain lead to your goal?
-It’s difficult to say for sure, but it’s more likely no than yes...

Going with the flow consciously is moving in the direction of your destiny, which gives peace and a harmonious state. Something unnecessary or contraindicated, received in defiance of fate, will not fit into a happy future and will rather be a burden than give happiness in the future. Or, at best, it will turn out to be wasted time and nerves.

Swim against the current.

Fish always swims against the current and, contrary to popular belief, this is correct. She does this not to complicate her life, but to let more water pass her by. This way, more food and oxygen float past it in the stream of water. So her life becomes several times richer.

We, unlike fish, always try to go with the flow in a stagnant flow, and as a result, instead of 40 years of life experience, we have gained one year of life experience 40 times. We don't want to leave our comfort zone and then we wonder why there were so few opportunities in life. We want to win the lottery of life without even buying a lottery ticket.

Swimming against the tide means acting independently, contrary to established traditions and patterns.

To go against the flow is not to resist the general order, but to go with the flow means to have a lack of originality everywhere.

Going with the flow means understanding the difference between a floating log and a boat made of the same wood. The boat has oars and can swim against the current.

Usually people are like logs thrown into the river of life: at first strong and dry, and later broken and wet, they always follow the channel or its branches prepared for them strongmen of the world this... They float!.. They float, jumping on each other in a fit of senseless violence, dirty, smeared with clay, in an unknown direction and without a specific goal, until they break into pieces and disappear from the surface of this river, all flowing from no one knows where and where.

These are just tree trunks, uprooted, with broken branches; they are thrown from side to side, and they barely resist the current using only their own weight! The dark mass crawls, emitting creaks and groans as it moves - endless, but... so tired! During the day, the sun makes visible the black rot of their bark, and at night this chaotic accumulation of shadows always moves in a horizontal plane, and only occasionally does a log rise with its end to the distant stars.

Not life, but a stream of logs! There are more and more of them, they collide with each other, break, break... A flow of logs!

But year after year I learned almost forgotten ways of transforming and healing wood - the wood from which we are all created. Quick Strikes with a pickaxe on the surface, and then hot coals, fanned again and again. This work, although inspired by the great Teachers, is endlessly long and always associated with suffering. After all, you need to get to the very depths, where cowardice and selfishness weave their intricate roots and where it suddenly seems to you that you really are a log and that you are destroying yourself. However, a tireless worker, prompted by the highest will of the Creator, overcoming all the groans of half-decayed matter, you continue His work.

And little by little the rough log turns into a boat. A pointed nose and a rounded stern emerge. And what was previously a pothole, a wound, became a clean and beautiful refuge for the spirit-traveler sailing to a quiet Harbor.

From the remains, a steering wheel and elastic oars are made, with the help of which it will be possible to direct movement. And with endless patience the sides are polished until they become light and durable.

And here is the boat!

The pile of logs looks at her with a mixture of fear and hostility; she seems to them empty, fragile, worthless, funny, dangerous, unnecessary. And all because it’s not a log... It’s a boat! And no matter how small it is, she can swim against the tide. And this is already unforgivable! Does it not obey fashion and does not take on the color of the mud through which it floats? Does it have its own shape, and it glides over the mud, barely touching it? This is unimaginable!

And what about her passengers?

They say that we are not all the same and that if this were so, then we could all go astray at once without any hope of help from the Creator. They say that identity does not exist in His creation, that it is impossible, and indeed undesirable. That healthy differences decorate the whole, eliminating boredom and the herd instinct.

They also claim that they not only believe in God, but know about His Presence, which is obvious - you just need to know the Path and follow It. They argue that the human spirit is immortal and incorruptible, and there is no need to confuse it with those masks and guises that the human soul periodically takes on. There is forgiveness, it is only on the other side of redemption, according to the law of causes and consequences, and this is the unshakable law of the Creator: the one who sowed the grain, sooner or later the grain will reap, and the one who sowed the tares will only receive the tares.

Those who sail in a boat do not need to repeat lies by rote. They search and, step by step, find the truth. They lean on the oars and discern what others do not see - after all, they are rowing against the current. They rise to the upper reaches of rivers, to clean and unpolluted sources. Their spirit is full of enthusiasm and open to the joy and beauty of fellowship with the Lord.

They are disgusted by the noisy cacophony...

They believe that drugs and temptations like them cannot bring anything good, but only create evil, because those who abuse them turn into degenerate animals, killing and stealing, just to get a dose again. They do not see anything good even where drunken screams are accompanied by vulgar belching.

But they have great faith in a harmonious and vital order that transcends the blind mechanism of programs compiled by anyone else. They believe in freedom, which exists to the extent that there are people who value and respect others. They believe in will, kindness and justice and that the world without these virtues is just a lump of clay that needs to be given a harmonious shape, overcoming the resistance of gross matter. They believe in new and better world... but in order for it to appear on our horizon, we need to have many new and better rowers. Those who drowned in the river of life, in their own weaknesses and complaints, found themselves irreversibly drawn into their physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual destruction. But all this: freedom and will, kindness and justice, faith and fidelity - only in Christ, as the Primary Source of the blessings of eternal and temporal life. The Lord is the Potter who shapes the beauty of relationships if we are like clay in His hands. Relationships with Himself and others like us.

And besides, the crew of the boat confidently moves forward, because the Helmsman is with them. He is also their Captain, to whom they entrusted their lives completely and confidently go through all the storms and turbulence of the ocean of life and their boat, like the Ark of Salvation, is ready to accept new hopeless and time-poor passengers, floating with logs overboard.

As they float up the river of life, many of those whose hearts are young and minds are awakened set to work turning logs into ships to experience the wonderful spiritual adventure of sailing against the tide.

To go with the flow - live, act, act as circumstances arise, passively obey them, accepted patterns. Those who float with the flow of life are carried further and further away from the goal of life.

A fish swims against the current for a reason, it does this so that the waters of the river do not carry it out to sea, where it will die... In order to stay in place, it always needs to swim against the current.

Go with the flow - the tail bends. What role does the tail play? He has two responsibilities. Firstly, this is still an engine, although not the main one, but an auxiliary one. And secondly, the steering wheel.

The fishtail is still the most advanced propeller and is superior to all similar mechanisms constructed by man.

Designers are now thinking a lot about how to adopt all its “propulsion mechanisms” from fish.

However, the secret of fish speed has not yet been fully studied. And this is far from the only gap in our knowledge about the world of fish.

It is easier for fish to swim against the current than with it. The fish can swim against the current, taking advantage of the whirlpools of the bubbling stream. This technique must save a lot of energy because it allows the fish to move without using the major swimming muscles. This was discovered by George Lauder, a biomechanist at Harvard University.

Using mirror balls to determine the direction of water flow, the researcher observed trout and other species of fish swimming in a special chamber. To his surprise, it turned out that fish swim against the current in a completely different way than along it. As the fish rises, it slaloms, darting from side to side in an unusual, relaxed movement.

A closer look showed that the fish bends its body into a kind of hydrofoil, catching whirlpools that arise, for example, in front of an obstacle. In other words, the fish moves through the current in much the same way as a sailboat moves into the wind. Registration of muscle activity showed that the only muscle activity occurring was a slight turn of the head to “catch” each subsequent whirlpool. The large swimming muscles remain unused, saving enormous amounts of energy.

Live fish swims against the current, dead - with the flow.

Live and fight, your Lord is with you! He will steer the boat of your life and your house. In the elements of this world He will not let you perish; in the strongest storm He is always there and a quick Helper in your troubles!

I am grateful to the saints of God for their help in compiling this material and the sources from which I can draw.

Ecology of knowledge. Psychology: Usually people are like logs thrown into the river of life: at first strong and dry, and later broken and wet, they always follow the channel or its branches prepared for them by the powers that be... They float!..

The difference between a floating log and a boat made of the same wood is that the boat has oars and can swim against the current.

Dr. N. Shri Ram

I heard these words from his lips in my already distant youth. They did not appear in any of his speeches, and I do not know if he included them in any of his books. They just came up in one of the conversations.

I thought a lot about them, and when the time came for the embodiment of my highest ideals in a philosophical school of the classical type, the metaphor of the log and the boat left its mark on all my feelings and thoughts, on all my activities.

Usually people are like logs thrown into the river of life: at first strong and dry, and later broken and wet, they always follow the channel or its branches prepared for them by the powers that be... They float!.. They float, jumping on each other in a fit of senseless violence, dirty, smeared with clay, in an unknown direction and without a specific goal, until they break into pieces and disappear from the surface of this river, all flowing from no one knows where and from where.

These are just tree trunks, uprooted, with broken branches; they are thrown from side to side, and they barely resist the current using only their own weight! The dark mass crawls, emitting creaks and groans as it moves - endless, but... so tired! During the day, the sun makes visible the black rot of their bark, and at night this chaotic accumulation of shadows always moves in a horizontal plane, and only occasionally does a log rise with its end to the distant stars.

Flow of logs!

There are more and more of them, they collide with each other, break, break... A flow of logs! How many times have I thought about this!

But year after year I learned almost forgotten ways of transforming and healing wood - the wood from which we are all created. Quick hits with a pickaxe on the surface, and then hot coals, fanned again and again. This work, although inspired by the great Teachers of Humanity, is endlessly long and always associated with suffering. After all, you need to get to the very depths, where cowardice and selfishness weave their intricate roots and where it suddenly seems to you that you really are a log and that you are destroying yourself. However, a tireless worker, prompted by your highest will, overcoming all the groans of half-decayed matter, you continue your work.

And little by little the rough log turns into a boat. A pointed nose and a rounded stern emerge. And what was previously a pothole, a wound, became a clean and beautiful refuge for the Traveling Soul.

From the remains, a steering wheel and elastic oars are made, with the help of which it will be possible to direct movement. And with endless patience the sides are polished until they become light and durable.

And so we created a boat!

The pile of logs looks at her with a mixture of fear and hostility; she seems to them empty, fragile, worthless, funny, dangerous, unnecessary. And all because it’s not a log... It’s a boat! And no matter how small it is, she can swim against the tide. And this is already unforgivable! Does it not obey fashion and does not take on the color of the mud through which it floats? Does it have its own shape, and it glides over the mud, barely touching it? This is unimaginable!

And her strange passengers?

They say that we are not all the same and that if this were so, then we could all be mistaken at once without any hope of help from each other. They say that identity does not exist in Nature, that it is impossible, and even undesirable. That healthy differences decorate the whole, eliminating boredom and the herd instinct. And that all such different religions are only interpretations of one Message adapted to the place and time, and therefore none of the religions is better or worse than another, because besides this short Message, everything else was brought into them by people, their ignorance and greed. And they have all been copying each other for thousands of years.

They also claim that they do not believe in God, but know about His Presence, which is obvious - you just need to know the paths and follow them. They claim that the Soul is immortal and incorruptible, and there is no need to confuse it with the masks and guises that it periodically takes. And if there is forgiveness, then only on the other side of redemption, according to the law of causes and consequences, and this is an unshakable law of Nature: the one who sowed the grain, sooner or later the grain will reap, and the one who sowed the tares will only receive the tares.

There is no miracle as such, but only levels of knowledge. Everything that is manifested is secondary. The Babylonian priest who amazed believers with small artificial lightning bolts flying from palm to palm would today be just an electrician. And St. Patrick is a chemist who knows what happens if you pour water on white phosphorus or quicklime.

Those who sail in a boat do not need to repeat lies by rote. They search and, step by step, find the truth. They lean on the oars and discern what others do not see - after all, they are rowing against the current. They rise to the upper reaches of rivers, to clean and unpolluted sources. Their Soul is full of enthusiasm and open to joy and beauty.

They are disgusted by noisy cacophony, but they like the beautiful melodies of Strauss, the works of Wagner full of light and shadow, and the soulful sonatas of Mozart. They do not pretend to see beyond the jumble of eyes, noses and tails in modernist paintings, but prefer to walk through the snow after Goya, look at the gray skies of Velazquez, marvel at the pure tears of El Greco, or get lost in the fantastic streets of Pompeii.

They believe that drugs cannot bring anything good, but only create evil, because those who abuse them turn into degenerate animals, killing and stealing just to get a dose again. They do not see anything good even where drunken screams are accompanied by vulgar belching.

But they have great faith in a harmonious and vital order that transcends the blind mechanism of programs compiled by anyone else. They believe in freedom, which exists to the extent that there are people who value and respect others. They believe in will, kindness and justice and that the world without these virtues is just a lump of clay that needs to be given a harmonious shape, overcoming the resistance of gross matter. They believe in a new and better world... but in order for it to appear on our horizon, we need to have many new and better rowers. Those who drowned in the river of life, in their own weaknesses and complaints, found themselves irreversibly drawn into their physical, mental and intellectual destruction.

They believe in science in the service of Man, animal, plant and, above all, the Planet in a global sense, because this is our cosmic home, and we are ruining and shaking it. They believe that outdated and useless structures should, in the course of the natural renewal of life, give way to others, young and strong, without complexes and limitations that already smell of rot. For the old dies, and only the reanimating power of power and money makes it move its members, monstrously parodying life.

And besides, the boat crew believes in themselves and in the boat they made.

As they float up the river of life, many of those whose hearts are young and minds are awakened set to work turning logs into ships to experience the wonderful spiritual adventure of sailing against the tide. published

Join us on

Up or down? How to move along the river?

Down or up? Where to go?

About six years ago I wrote an article that was published in the RR newspaper... I recently re-read it... and thought - so many years have passed since these lines were written, and I still don’t know if I would get to a new one for yourself a river - should you go up or down the river? On the one hand, if you move up and cast up and cast down, the fish see you less. But often such retrieving is too fast, the bait flies in front of the fish’s eyes at such a speed that the fish simply do not have time to grab it...

It would be great if Spinningline readers read and shared THEIR experience in this direction...

Chub fishing on small and medium rivers

When you come to a river that has been recommended for chub, you not only have to find the right place to fish, but also figure out how to deliver bait to this place. Often very good places are only accessible for fishing against the current and are completely unsuitable for fishing with the current. Most often, this is hampered by the branches of coastal bushes and trees hanging over the water, which do not allow making a targeted cast upstream, or upstream.

Casting direction

But for fishing with a wobbler against the current, casting as such is often not needed: it is enough to open the reel arm, put the bait on the water and float it downstream. At the same time, I can say with complete certainty: over the past 10 years, all of my trophy chub weighing more than 1.5 kg, with the exception of one, were caught by floating a wobbler downstream. There are many reasons for this, but the main one, it seems to me, is one. During the day, a large chub hardly eats; it only grabs what is next to its “hole.” And in order to force him, well-fed and cautious, to rush to the wobbler, it is necessary to hold the bait near the fish site. Therefore, extremely slow retrieval is necessary and often at the maximum possible depth. When fishing upstream, this cannot happen in principle: the bait moves too quickly, faster than the flow, so that the fish often does not have time to see it and attack, especially in muddy water. In addition, upstream fishing requires frequent casting, which can alert the fish and quickly tire the fisherman, despite the fact that the effective retrieve phase is very short, rarely more than ten seconds. But guiding against the current can last several minutes if the place deserves such close attention. By floating a wobbler downstream, it is easier to imitate a natural object, for example, a May beetle that has fallen into the water, the favorite delicacy of the chub. This insect has high positive buoyancy, is almost not wetted by water and, when swimming, tries to paddle with its paws, creating diverging circles on the surface. Therefore, when floating a wobbler, it is useful to slow down the cord by pinching it with your fingers. This must be done intermittently: they allowed the wobbler to accelerate slightly, pick up the flow speed, and then suddenly braked, squeezing the cord. When braking, the wobbler starts up and begins to play, diving slightly under the water. Of course, a beetle that has fallen into the water cannot “go deeper” like that, but this allows the fish’s predatory instincts to turn on, and it attacks the bait.

Rafting distance and good places

The vacation distance depends on your experience and ability to read the river. If there is great depth along the shore, and trees and bushes stand close to the water, this is a very good place and should be spent a lot of time, perhaps even several hours. In such places, I usually float the wobbler to the maximum possible distance and start processing the entire area in small pieces. Gradually, from the fragments of the wobbler’s passage of the entire distance, a general picture of the river’s relief along the wiring line is formed, all hits and snags on the bottom and snags are remembered. Moreover, I fish the entire distance in layers, gradually changing wobblers to increasingly deeper ones. Usually, the maximum length of the bait rafting is determined either by the underwater topography of the river (for example, there is no point in rafting further, since the shallow water section begins), or the direction of its flow (bend), or the direction of coastal jets. Usually I act at the limit of reasonable risk, on the verge of a hook, and try to move the bait as close as possible to the shore and, accordingly, to the fish. The wobbler often finds a good place in the river itself.

Let me explain what this means. The principle of guiding a wobbler against the current is similar to rafting with stops: reel in the bait, pause, while the wobbler stands under water, actively playing. There is almost always a pause when you understand from the play of the bait that this place is very good. Moving the wobbler to " good location“closer or further from the shore due to changing the position of the top of the spinning rod and control jerks, you feel the presence of several small local currents. When caught on a faster underwater stream, the wobbler noticeably becomes more active, begins to work with greater frequency and occupies a deeper horizon.

It is precisely this “brazen” behavior of the bait with local movements of varying speeds horizontally and vertically that often provokes a large chub to come out of cover and attack. This tactic allows you to catch very good, sometimes even trophy, chub almost every trip. And often, mind you, at a time when the chub is generally passive throughout the river and even small and medium-sized specimens are not caught. But I must warn you: often the desire to check a place next to a snag sticking out of the water and releasing the wobbler at 50-70 m ends in a dead hook. As a result, you lose an expensive wobbler, and if the cord breaks, you also spoil a promising place, scaring away all the fish. After all, the cord during such a long-distance rafting is by no means straight and can catch some obstacles along the way with its middle part. Although, to be honest, I myself often let the bait go to the limit. I would like to check what is further down the river, but I can’t approach it - it’s deep and the current is strong.

Upstream Difficulties

I don’t recommend that beginners rush to master upstream fishing. If you do everything meaningfully, and not just throw some bait for the sake of the process itself, then upstream is a very complex fishing technique. In addition to the fact that you need to have some spinning experience and be able to read the river, you need a huge arsenal of baits for proper fishing. And different current strengths and depths require very sensitive spinning rods of different power. In addition, it must be taken into account that with such fishing the percentage of realized bites sharply decreases: the fish has too little time to accurately grab the bait. This especially applies to those cases when there is a fast current in the fishing area, the average depth exceeds 2-2.5 m, and the fish is standing at the very bottom. Then the fish needs time to first rise to the same level as the bait and then attack it. Often the chub does not rise for the bait, and to activate it, striking wiring is necessary at the very bottom. To do this, select a pinwheel of a certain weight with a petal shape suitable for a given location.

The reeling speed and position of the spinning rod above the water are chosen such that the rotating petal periodically touches the bottom. With this type of fishing, passive and inactive fish do not need to leave the deep horizon they occupy: the bait is at the level of the fish’s eyes and, one might say, swims into the mouth itself. With all this, despite the rich long-term experience of our team and the huge number - thousands - of baits used, only one decent chub weighing 1700 g, which I mentioned at the very beginning, was caught by upstream. He stood under a snag right in the center of the river. But his capture can be considered more of an accident than the result of my meaningful actions. However, on every fishing trip, when trying to fish upstream, powerful bites occur, the blows are so strong that the wire on the turntables bends. It turns out that we needlessly injured a worthy chub with an excessively fast retrieve.

Therefore, we use this kind of fishing only in those places where it is impossible to fish in any other way, and the presence of fish and the level of its activity must be checked. Moreover, such fishing can hardly be called upstream in the full sense of the word. The method we use is more often called “loop fishing”. The cast is made 30-45 degrees above the fishing point. While the bait, spinner or sinking wobbler, is immersed, it is quickly dumped into the water required amount cord and all the tackle is buried by closing the reel bow. The current puts pressure on the line, forcing the bait down and across the stream. This technique often allows you to remove most of the small active fish in the posting area. In this case, the bait actually goes “down” relatively little, and the main casting is still done across the river, and then at an angle against the current. When there is a clearly visible hole on the river under the other bank, especially under large trees, then it makes sense to cast against the current. if another position for the spinner on this section of the river is impossible.

The bait that is possible accurate throw over a long distance - most often it is a heavy spinner or a small oscillating spoon with gliding wiring on the fall - is sent to the far edge of the pit. The cord must be raised above the water. The bait, once in the hole, catches the entire thickness of the water as it falls. After this, you can start reeling with a reel or immerse part of the cord in water so that the bait works, passing the hole along the entire length. To be fair, it must be said that upstream fishing can still be successfully done during the period when the water has not completely warmed up and some chubs stay in open areas of the river. For example, in bottom depressions, in snags washed away in the middle of the river, next to riffles and drains. Upstream also works during the period of mass emergence of some insects. As the water temperature rises, most of the chubs - and apparently all the large ones, as evidenced by direct observations of submariners - huddle under the shore in shelters, where it is cooler and safer. After this, the effectiveness of upstream fishing becomes minimal.