Ego & Surfboards: Softening Your Inner Core (1/2)
Aloha, PhiloSurfer! This week’s reflection is a deep one. Don’t be afraid. As with everything that can only be touched in the abyssal depths, we will take tiny steps. We’ll also take a break between 2 long stretches. All this to say that I’ve decided to split this long letter in 2 to walk a […]
Philosophy & Micheladas: Exploring Friendship in Surfing Culture
Aloha, my dearest PhiloSurfer! In previous issues of this Philosophical Surfing Magazine, we have been discussing topics like: Cosmopolitanism (do you remember Hierocles encouraging his students to address strangers as bros & sisters?) Freedom & Soul Surfing (yes, Rob Machado high-fiving’ Kelly Slater instead of ruthlessly competing to win the Pipe Masters!). Well, this week, […]
Never turn your back on the ocean
Aloha, PhiloSurfer! We continue the construction of our Club. This week we carved our motto on top of the wooden door of the beach shack: The PhiloSurfer Club Become the Surfer & the Wave This motto reminds us that every time we cross the beach, the ultimate threshold, our little egos dissolve into a much […]
Imagine (All The Surfers)
Aloha, PhiloSurfer! One. Two. One. Two.Three. Four. Imagine there’s no choppy It’s easy if you try No coral reefs below us Above us, only glide Imagine all the surfers Sharing sets with grace, yoo-hoo Imagine there’s no locals It isn’t hard to do Nothing to drop-in or yell at And no snaking, too Imagine all […]
Only For Your Eyes: The Secret Surfing Chronicle
Shhhhhhhhh! I am going to tell you a secret. Please, please, please, don’t tell anyone. Promise? Last Monday, I wrote a post that went viral. The truth is that I made up a big part of the story. The one about my friend disclosing my secret to 1,723 IG connections. It was me who revealed it. […]
Rawls vs. Localism: A Solution for Fair Surfing
Aloha! Spoiler alert: This issue is about how John Rawls’s theory of justice can solve the problem of localism among surfers. It might look boring or uninteresting (esp. if you’re not a surfer), but I assure you it’s not. Stay with me. (And if you don’t surf, think of waves as any common resource, let’s […]
PhiloSurfing: The Tides They’re A-Changing!
Aloha, PhiloSurfer! According to a recent poll among my readers on LinkedIn, there are 2 types of people: Those who believe they mainly control everything in their lives. Those who think that fate, fortune, the universe (or whatever you want to call that external force beyond our reach) usually control them. This fascinating dichotomy is closely […]
Paddle, Paddle, Paddle!
Aloha, PhiloSurfer! This week we have been arguing from different angles on time & death. How relevant it is for all of us to understand that we only live once! Yes, it is a simple idea. And a poignant one. Facing mortality is one of the most philosophical endeavors anyone can undertake. It’s a necessary […]
Free Surfing is Soul Surfing
It was a scorching and rather dull day at Banzai Pipeline on the North Coast of Oahu, Hawaii, where two of the greatest surfers of all time (and good friends), Rob Machado and Kelly Slater, were battling for the World Championship. In a defining moment of what might be called anti-competition, Slater raised both his […]
The 4 2s Method: Waves Aren’t Always Perfect
Aloha, PhiloSurfer! Today’s letter is about a combination of Stoic-Taoist teachings. It’s what I call the 4 2s method. That is 2-2-2-2. Let’s break it down: First “2”: Dichotomy of Control There are 2 circles of control. A. Things you can influence. B. Things you can’t. Either or. A or B? Focus on A. Simple […]