Tuesday, March 09, 2004 :::
 

I began to see, that my prospects of experiencing the world as a surf-sailor were, after all, but very doubtful; for surf-sailors only go round the world, without going into it; and their reminiscences of travel are only a dim recollection of a chain of reef breaks surrounding the globe, parallel with the Equator. They but touch the perimeter of the circle; hover about the edges of terra-firma; and only land upon beaches and islands. They would dream as little of traveling inland to see the Rocky Mountains of Canada, or experience the foibles and follies of family responsibilities, as they would of holding a 9-5 job and choking on fumes in the great traffic infested cities of the world.

The very fact of a man being a surf sailor, argues a certain recklessness and sensualism of character, ignorance, and depravity; consider that they are generally friendless and alone in the world; or if they have friends and relatives, they are almost constantly beyond the reach of their good influences; consider that after the rigorous discipline, hardships, dangers, and privations of chasing and facing the great wind lashed waves of this world, they are set adrift on a foreign beach, and exposed to a thousand enticements, which, under the circumstances, would be hard even for virtue itself to withstand, unless virtue went about blindfolded. Consider that by their very vocation they are shunned by the better classes of people, but chasing and lusting after rare weather phenomena, bikini clad or even topless teenaged vixens. Thus cut off from all access to gainful employment and respectable and improving society; consider all this, and the reflecting mind must very soon perceive that the case of surf-sailors, as a class, is not a very promising one.

Indeed, the bad things of their condition come under the head of those chronic evils which can only be improved; it would seem, by improving the moral organization of all civilization.

::: posted by Mega at 6:22 AM

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Mega means big or large stir because I like to mix it up