You can pretty well guarantee that the folks in this picture enjoy fishing. That's what they are doing.
Some people have an online life, and their real life. Others are rooted in reality. A few have lost themselves to the new virtual worlds.
How we are defined has changed greatly in just a few years.
At one time people would live in a neighborhood, and often that neighborhood would define them. It wasn't unusual to find people working for the same company living in the same area.
Then companies got more complex. It became normal to be defined by your company but to not have anyone from your company around you. I worked for Apple computer for nearly twenty years. Most of that time I was lucky to have someone from Apple within an hour's drive.
Few companies command much loyalty from employees these days. Some days I question whether companies command much loyalty from consumers either, but in some strange ways, a lot of people are now defined more by what they consume than where they work.
You're likely to find a different kind of person buying groceries at Fresh Market than you might find at Kroger or the Roanoke Natural Foods Coop. This isn't a hard and fast rule as you will find people like us who shop them all. You will run across some people who are passionate about their grocery stores.
Lots of people try to define themselves with products. Companies like Apple want their products to equate with cool. Unfortunately I think a lot of iPod toting kids have fallen for this trap. If you drive a Toyota Prius, you're definitely defining yourself as part of a special group. I know one person who has a Prius and a big truck. That's definitely a subset of vehicle owners.
I once did a post with the theory that you are defined by your footwear. Of course that footwear evolves over time as we change.
My footwear is pretty weird these days on the coast. It has been a while since I have worn socks even to church. Yesterday all of us at Bluewater, the company where I work, got dressed up in white shirts and tan pants for a picture on the beach. We had lots of people carrying their shoes.
Discipline isn't what it used to be. One lady showed up in a tan top and white pants. She endured the suggestion that she stand on her head so she could fit in with the rest of us.
Several folks had white polo shirts or tee shirts. Being old school I went out and bought a long sleeved white shirt. All the older management people showed up wearing the same as me.
That brings up the thought of tan pants, blue shirt, and a blazer. Now there is one uniform that has stood the test of time.
Perhaps we are moving to a world where we are defined by those with whom we communicate in our free time. Often I feel a closer tie to the people with whom I have an occasional online chat than I do to some neighbors whom I meet while walking around our subdivision.
I have more serious conversations with Russ, a friend in State College, Pa, and Stephen my globe trotting ex-Apple colleague than I do with any of my neighbors. This morning I had a chat with Stephen. He was in London.
Almost all of our conversations are instant messaging,
Wait a minute. Am I defined by whom I communicate with or how I communicate with them?
That's a pretty good question, but I am not sure of the answer.