Sunday trip to Muizenberg beach

epicures: Amy, Charlotte, Irini ”lots of eating”
surfers: John, Erick, Salla ”lots of paddling”

I have never felt more cool than when I was struggling with my surfboard towards the huge waves (in my opinion), crashing through them and hearing the fading voice of the teacher shouting ”keep paddling, keep paddling, paddle, paddle”. After countless rotations and falls, each time afraid of the board hitting my head, I saw the good wave coming. I turned back towards the beach and let the strong stream suck me in to its motion. I was too tired to stand up, but with ashaking legs I did it anyway, a few seconds standing till the wave throws me to the sand.

And then again - paddling..

Middle of the beautiful waves, the painful salt water in my eyes, the ”see me, rescue me, I'm a first-timer” -purple shirt coiled around my chest, I climbed up to sit on top of the board and see the whales!!!!

Oh what a lucky day I must say. And what a wonderful thing: sharing the experience. 'm sure Erick and John were as excited about this as I was.



In the train back home Amy loaned me her book of quotations. The one which drew my attention was William Burroughs: Nothing exists until or unless it is observed. An artist is making something exist by observing it. And his hope for other people is that they will also make it exist by observing it. I call it "creative observation". Creative viewing.

I wondered what is the place of this creative observing for democracy. Thinking all the possibilities of the ways that the billions of observers in the world may think about the meaning of the word "democracy", made me dizzy. While almost falling asleep the questions kept haunting the peace of my mind:

Will democracy exist more the more it is observed? Does democracy exist more strongly the more versatile and creative its viewers are? How will the creativeness of the observers affect democracy? Does democracy exist more when more creative versions of democracy exist? Do these questions apply to antidemocratic communities as well? How can antidemocracy be observed by its members? Is it more that the members are observed by antidemocracy? Which ways can democracy observe its members?

Too many questions! Forgive my wondering mind, it must be due to the hard paddling..

/Salla