Page 148 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART TWO
Places are made sacred by their purpose and the people that participate. As you explore the world, you take your learnings and apply them to contexts outside of the place where you initially learnt them. Through life and the ad- ditional places you visit, you are turning every place into a sacred space by your presence and what you bring to the environment. There is no authority that deems whether one place is more sacred than another, however what this really means is that every place has the potential to be sacred. What makes this even more special in skateboarding is the way that tricks of skateboard photos and videos capture moments in time that make history and glorify the place and the participant. It shines a new light on the place, consecrating it with the magic of skateboarding.
All places in your environment can be considered sacred as you visit, explore and shine your light on board and off board. All places store the energy of the activities that take place within them and all places have contextual fac- tors that apply to them which enable its visitors to effectively and respect- fully participate in the activities of that space. These include factors such as being mindful of those around them, the cleanliness and rubbish, noise levels and looking out for one another. While these are unwritten and gen- erally understood by everyone, they are factors that generally apply every- where you go.
As skateboarding can be any place, any time, consider all spots that you visit as sacred. Skateboarders can sometimes be perceived as intimidating to the misinformed outsider. Consider what you can do to your vibe to shine a pos- itive light on the environments you visit. What can you and your friends do to show that you are making the place sacred?
Take care of the places that you visit and infuse them with your love and pres- ence. Whether you are at a skatepark or skating in the streets, leave behind no rubbish, be mindful of the volume of your voices, any swearing or explicit language, any deliberate damage to property. There’s a difference between skating an obstacle or making an obstacle out of something in the streets and deliberately climbing on, taking apart and breaking something for attention and approval of peers.
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