Sunday, March 23, 2008

Oxymoronic platitudes...



This flick sent to me by my friend Jay, brought to mind a layering of thoughts regarding surfing. Many not entirely consistent.

-Surfing is art and sport.
-Surfing is recreational and competitive.
-Surfing is craftsman-centered and a commodity.
-Surfing is a subculture and an iconic American mythology.
-Surfing is spiritual and a purely human creation.
-Surfing is nature-driven and nature-abusing.
-Surfing is feeling the wave in a "dance" and being seen/judged.
-Surfing is passive and purposeful.
-Surfing is unpredictable, yet surfers try to control the variables.
-Surfing is solitary and social.
-Surfing promotes selflessness, yet requires selfishness.
-Surfing is a gift, yet surfers are picky, complaining, whining consumers of our "resource".


Easter Sunday. The choir sings a song:
"Alleluia, Alleluia! For the Lord God Almighty Reigns." My mind fills with an image of a green and grey thunderhead of a wave, a right, standing tall over hidden rock reefs below. Folding in elegant angled descent. Thin and lacy-lipped. A strand of kelp just visible sliding through the curtain. Amen.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 24, 2008 at 2:40 PM

    groovy movie

    great post

    ReplyDelete
  2. 23 BreathsMarch 25, 2008 at 7:07 AM

    Yes! I knew that! Surfboards are made of flower, milk and whole eggs!! Nice post thanks

    ReplyDelete