Binoculars are often associated with warfare, hunting, bird watching, boating, saltwater fishing, and examining the planets, comets, and stars.
Battlefield commanders are never away from one. They use it to survey the terrain and to look out for enemies. Hunters need it to make sure that the moving thing behind the bushes is game and not human. Bird watchers could hardly enjoy their hobby without it. Boaters out in the huge ocean need it for navigation. Fishermen use it to spot schools of fish. And astronomers, professional and amateur, couldn’t study the heavenly bodies without them.
The problem is, I am not a soldier and I’d rather make love not war, as the aging hippies of the 60s were wont to say. Neither do I hunt. I’m not a card-carrying PETA member nor am I a vegetarian, but I’d rather buy my meat at the butcher’s shop. I do like birds but my favorites are turkeys and chickens, especially when they are on my plate. In the open seas I often get seasick so I limit my encounter with water in the bathroom. And the heavenly bodies? The only stars I know are those that are from Hollywood.
So of what use are binoculars for an undistinguished, common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill mortal like me?
A lot of us who like to travel sometimes, take a break from our routines. We visit scenic places and spectacular sites. Sometimes these sites can only be viewed from afar. You can’t get to the top of Mount Rushmore and rub Abe Lincoln’s beard, but at least you can get a close look with your binoculars. You might even see some ants crawling up Teddy Roosevelt’s nose.
If you are often late for music concerts or live theaters, or if you just like sitting in the back rows, a pair of inexpensive binoculars could easily make you feel like you’re standing alongside the musicians and the stage actors. For outdoor concerts binoculars are indispensable.
Last year, attendance at Major League Baseball games reached 78.6 million. The year before last, Minor League Baseball set a record at 42.8 million. In 2006, thirty-two American Football teams attracted from 60,000 to 90,000 spectators every time they played. If you are one of these millions of sports enthusiasts who like to listen to the roar of the crowd as they cheer for their favorites, or who prefer live action to television, you will need a set of good binoculars to get in on the action. This is especially true if you are in one of those nosebleed seats.
