WQS, the second division of international professional surfing, happening in Praia Mole this weekend, is a warm up for the front line WCT surfing event from the 31/10 till 09/11 . I am not going to report who are the winners or losers because I am not fond of such contests, but I can tell what I feel about it…

I grew up in Santos, a coastal city close to São Paulo. It is not only famous for its legendary soccer team but it also has a strong tradition on surfing. The sport never really touched me, although I have tried it just to follow what most boys felt would give status with the girls.

Overseas, my respect for surfing grew as I learned about the connections it has with Mother Nature and I believe it is a divine activity that puts you in touch the elements.

Surfing became very popular worldwide and here in Florianopolis its culture is quite strong, benefiting the local economy.

I am not sure about the impact an event like this one could have in the local environment. Billboards, balloons, flags and all sorts of visual marketing did a good job by capturing people’s attention but it just missed some reminder to the fact that our oceans are being poluted…

I flew to see the contest structure from the top. The southeast breeze was a blessing after many weeks without the chance to leave the ground. The sky was clear and so the blue sea. The local vultures and seagulls were my partners on this day.

The contest finished around noon. I saw lots of people leaving and also lots of people coming.

The WQS is not all bad. You see a lot of beautiful people, the vibe is good and it brings fuel to the local economy.

I hope for local city administration to keep an eye on the event management to see if it is according to Florianópolis objectives. You never know if some people are just using our local resources without make a real contribution.

But a important lesson learned today is: before making a judgement know how you feel.

I finally could set aside some time to write a blog entry. The previous blog design was difficult to maintain because of the time it takes to edit the pages. For this reason I thought “why not using wordpress blogging plataform to make life easier”. And so I did, being pleased with new layout and the easiness.

My last memorable activity was a beach clean up organised by Keep Da Beach Clean ONG, at Campeche beach.

It was not a great beach day. The sky was cloudy and the south wind was blowing cold, but the purpose was noble in my view: gather people, mostly children, to pick up the garbage spread all over the beach. I was invited to capture images with my camera but I did also took a plastic bag to fill it up. About 50 people volunteered, but were the weather nicer more people would have joined in. Well, with sun or rain the work must be done.

The clean up started about 11:00 am and finished at 16:00, with a quick break for a snack and also to reward the kids with kites, which the adults didn’t hesitate in playing a little bit too. A lot of garbage was collected and hopefully a seed has being planted on the young minds.

I have been thinking about the ecology subject quite a lot recently. Books and friends have been giving me a holistic view of the subject. It is important to preseve the environment but it is also equally important to think that ecology goes far beyond. There are cosmical, social, espiritual, political and global aspects to think of and the list goes on. Moreover, there is a urgent need to ecologize your thinking.

How many poor boys and girls living in a favela could develop ecolocial conciousness without any incentive from local organizations. The limits of their surroudings are not far from the favelas itself. And the people living under those poor cirscunstances do contribute to polution. Not to blame them, cuz such education is out of their reach. In the other side, the riches who try to act ecologically responsible, holding the green flag, cannot contain their need to consume the planet resources without a sustainable development. It is all very complicated, what make us all tied to the same web.

I strongly belive our beloved earth is a entire living being, named Gaia, and we are its maximum expression of intelligence. One day it will perish, as the sun will turn the lights out, but if we can maintain it health enough until then, we might have built the Norah ark, and take with us its soul to live eternally in our universe.

“God always forgive;
Man sometimes;
The nature, never.” Popular saying.