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When I was about 12 years old, I scrapped together some pocket money and money from chores to buy my first surfboard. Two years later my father had a discussion with a gentleman at the local swim and racket club. Somehow my father mentioned that I had become quite passionate about surfing. The gentleman was very concerned. He advised my father to forbid me from surfing and encourage me to do something else. Surfing, he explained, led to laziness, drug addiction and anti-social behavior. I am writing this article at the age of 30 to say that time has proven the gentleman completely wrong.

Through Surfing I developed the best friendships I have. Since it is neither safe nor as much fun to go alone, we developed a close group of friends who all surfed together. We all supported each other in a co-operative way. The better our friends got, the more encouragement and inspiration we got from them in return. The sport also encouraged trust. We had to look out for each others safety as a group, so our group decision making skills improved. The friends I made through surfing are the ones I will keep my whole life. When we started surfing, we said to each other that as long as we kept surfing, we would be healthy, happy and best friends.

As far as drug addiction, when you are addicted to the beauty of the ocean, to the possibility of catching that one big tube, other temptations do not compare. Heroine is a "great ride" that you catch on your couch. You wipe out and you are twenty years older, with nothing to show for it. After surfing for almost 20 years, I have hundreds of great stories to tell, the confidence that comes from thousands of accomplishments and the health that comes from having a reason to be healthy.

The criticisms of that gentleman also failed to comprehend greatest benefit of a lifetime of surfing: the Spiritual Dividend. The world is composed of many challenges , struggles, defeats and moments of great success. The spiritual quality of a person is revealed by how they react to the ups and downs of life. While the spirit of a person develops through the experiences they are given in their life.

When a person is confronted by a social or parental "no" the reaction is filled with conjecture and blame. "Why Not!?" is often the answer. However, when the ocean says "no", there is no argument that can be made. When a rogue wave breaks outside, the only question that can be asked is "how can I best deal with the situation?". The result of dealing with many situations determined by the force and nature of the ocean is a spirit used to dealing with challenges, struggles, defeats and moments of brilliant symbiotic motion.

Learn more about this author, Jonathan Collyer.
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