Good Wiii Hunting

In this post-holiday season I keep hearing Wiiiiiiiii and XBox buzz. And at the same time I've been reading of declines in participation in outdoor pursuits - especially fishing and hunting. These two things seem oddly correlated.

With all this online interaction, including things like Facebook that allow you to have hundreds of "friends" with whom you never DO anything, we've become a society that has all these virtual experiences, but doesn't DO much. Instead of messaging with your so-called friend, maybe you should be having dinner with them? Or better still go cross-country skiing.

Have you seen the Wiiiiiiiii commercial where the two female friends have an online session and go to the park and go shopping together over the idiot box? For real. Can't make this stuff up.

And we wonder why obesity is rampant in both children and adults. Do you burn more calories on Wiiiiiiiii Skiing, or ripping down Milk Chute at Solitude at 9,000 feet? And don't even get me started on Wiiiiiii Fit. Really? Try a gym. A real one.

With all these virtual experiences you lose the vibrancy of real life. The things that the outdoors does to you that make you know you're truly alive. Whether that's standing in a river (like the Pere Marquette above) in the snow, walking an upland field looking for birds, whistling down a steep ski slope, or whatever you like to do.

Get outside. Now. And take someone with you. My new suggested application? Wiii Trashcan.

-Sean-