Page 112 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART TWO
Through taking on and reclaiming your own spiritual identity, you can begin to understand that your experience of life goes beyond what you experience as a human in your body. The understanding and acknowledgement of the spiritual experience in the human form leads one to constantly challenge their understanding of their own identity and what is truly important and rel- evant for them. It’s a journey of discovery that one has to embark on for them- selves and it is not something that another person can do for them.
Someone might be able to preach to you about or sell you a ‘spiritual experi- ence’ that is designed for a human, which has the look and feel of something beyond the ordinary, everyday life. These are the kinds of external influences that might have you feeling an altered emotional or physiological state and then its effects wear off afterwards, leaving you seeking more, but missing out on the authentic and true connection to your identity from within.
I’m certain in skateboarding, there are similar things that exist that challenge one’s perception of identity and ability. These could exist in the form of pro- ducts promising enhanced performance, companies that promise and com- promise their riders, the rise of internet-famed skateboarders and the number skaters comparing themselves and intentionally trying to outdo each other and the infallible, celebrity-status of some skateboarders. Someone or some- thing trying to get in touch with one’s identity in an influential way, as an agent of promising change and connection of sorts on the outside, surface level but doesn’t acknowledge or change anything on the inside.
In order to understand and appreciate our own soul, we need to strip it back to basics. What is important for us? What inspires us? What gives our life meaning? Looking at what feeds our soul, we are put in a position of living the life that fills us up from the inside out. It’s also natural for this soul nour- ishment to change from time to time, to reflect upon the very things that de- light, inspire and nurture us.
Ask yourself why. What is your intention behind what you are doing? If you can answer this question and feel like it is an expression of you and it brings you joy, then that is something that feeds your soul. That is something that
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