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The Wave is My Companion

The Wave is My Companion

Rusty is an absolute surf Legend. Miller has been a former United States Surfing Champion in 1965 and became one of the country's best big wave riders. Rusty has surfed Ceylon, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Portugal in the 1960's. Since making his name in the U.S. Rusty has since moved out to Byron Bay, Australia in 1970 where he became Byron Bay's original surf instructor. Not only is Rusty a surf legend, he also has been creating a Byron Bay publication since 1984, where he distributes more than 50,000 copies of his guide. Rusty has a long history of being a game changer in the United States and Australia.  I was lucky enough to sit down with him in his home to talk about how his connection to surfing leads him to deeper thinking about the philosophy of the political system and how that affects every individuals perception of taking care of the earth. 

"The environment, or at least how people act towards the environment, is directly related to the philosophy of the system" says Miller. Surfers weren't necessarily counter culture, they were sort of rubbing against the grain of how consumer America was evolving. As it turns out, later, the consumer society grew in use of natural resources. When I grew up in America, the corporations pay tax. Right now we are giving away our coal for less than a dollar a ton. They are coming and digging big holes, and the corporations have a nickname for Australia, its Treasure Island. Because you can just go there and take everything and leave but say 'oh we are just going to give jobs so you don’t have to pay tax.' But it all goes around nature, it ruins the reef, it erodes on the spirit, it creates injustice with distribution of wealth. This happens when all governments believe that you should create as much wealth investment as possible and give large corporations special privilege over people"  Rusty Miller explained. 

 

Rusty and I next talked about his own connection to nature and what that has stemmed from over the years. He agreed that his connection was from the wave, that was the catalyst to seeing the ocean as an energy and not something to just boost his ego when he caught that wave. 

 "I think from surfing you get a boost of energy from being immersed in water. Thats the scientific aspect, because the bubbles that come up from water, the negative ions relate to your endorphins. Like the indian gurus say, behind the waterfall is where the energy is. So when you go out in the surf, that white water is a bunch of bubbles. You get this super hyper pure oxygen when you surf. Thats one of the best parts of surfing, those parking lot endorphins when you talk to everyone else about the surf. Hawaiians had these stories, and I was told one story about surfing and how you should look at a wave as your companion. That simple statement means a lot, because if you just go out their to just rip that wave and win that competition, well than who are we to sort of do all of this?"

 

We ended our conversation talking about how he continues to breed a connection with the ocean over the years. 

"Importantly, its the routine that keeps me connected. Its like a daily reminder, you know you get up and go for a walk, or go to the gym. So its that continuity, the repetition of the routine that keeps you connected."

 

 

Joyality

Joyality

Water is life

Water is life

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