The Activists
Words–
Nat Woods
@nat.woods_
Muses & Photo–
Lauren Hill
– Surfer, Writer, Mumma
@theseakin
@waterpeoplepodcast
Dave Rastovich
– Professional Free Surfer and Patagonia Ambassador
I got asked a while back whether I consider myself an activist, and at the time I shied away from the label—I wasn’t out on the frontline chaining myself to trees, so did I deserve to add ‘Activist’ to my title? Now I see that activism can take many forms, all as necessary as each other. We can all be activists, whether it’s calling out injustice in everyday situations, to voting with our wallets, to signing online petitions, or joining a protest.
The world needs activists, maybe now more than ever. We chat to Lauren Hill and Dave Rastovich—lovers, surfers, parents, and activists. Dave and Lauren are those special people who are not tied to just one small issue, but are committed to the broader cause of protecting our oceans and planet from whatever threat they are up against. Beyond adding their voices to important causes, the pair also live on this land as gently as they can.
Do you remember the first time your activist spirit was activated within you and for what cause?
Lauren: I first felt the pangs of injustice as a high school student. I think I was 15 or 16 and President George W. Bush was sending troops to Iraq to wage war. I remember feeling like warfare seemed so illogical to making the world more peaceful. It was the first time I took to the streets and peacefully protested with a bunch of elders, and the first time I had someone spit in my face and tell me I was ‘a disgrace to my country.’ There was an enduring lesson about activism and tenacity in there.
Dave: Well ... for me it came through travelling as a surfer and seeing ecosystem destruction occur from season to season.
Do you think activism manifests itself differently within women and men?
L: I reckon we all have our own gifts to offer to the world, and gender definitely shapes how those gifts manifest in our lives.
D: I feel like it just manifests differently for people in general. There are effective activists from every walk of life – doesn’t matter the background, gender, religion or age – if you are motivated to act, then nothing will stop you.
Sometimes the problems of the world seem so heavy, so big, so complex. How do you stay optimistic?
L: I get in the ocean, make love, fossick for shells, fall in love again and again, laugh or cry with my son. In other words: re-connect. And not be tempted to substitute connectivity (via social media or digital device) for real world, full sensory, deep eye-contact connection. Do whatever helps you remember the magic.
D: Localising my focus keeps me realistic and free from that feeling of being too small or powerless to make positive change. I don’t participate in mainstream news so I don’t get that propaganda in my head and I think that is a big reason I stay upbeat.
What do you think is the most important thing we can do everyday to protect our planetary home and the people in our community?
L: If you’re going to buy something, support a local business. Local legend Helena Norberg-Hodge calls localism the “solution that begets solutions” because supporting local food, industry or business has far reaching effects socially, environmentally and economically. Supporting a local bank, like the local Credit Union is a great way to keep money circulating in our community, to bolster local efforts and keep your money from funding the kinds of dubious projects some of the big banks invest in (like fossil fuels).
D: I feel it is good to not label things as more or less important, when we feel it in our guts that we have to act on an issue we know it is truly what we need to be doing. If you need to convince yourself of the importance of something then maybe it’s not truly what you should be doing. We gotta do something about what keeps us up at night – something that rattles our bones and sparks a fire in us.
If you could send a message to our global leaders, what would it be?
L: I guess I’d like to sit down with each one individually and have a conversation about what makes their heart sing and what made their heart sing as a child. And then talk about policy from that heart-forward space of openness. Haha. Have I lived in Byron too long?
D: Well ... to be honest I don’t see too many world leaders. I do see people down the beach or around my local town and usually it feels right to talk about our local area and how to look after it – that feels like a good conversation and one that I can focus on that might actually take some shape. Otherwise I don’t really give much thought to those vacuous people in politics.
Originally published in Paradiso Issue 9