As surfers we often become obsessed with our sport, some from the pure rush and aggression of short boarding, others by the 'Soul Surfing' aspect, but often, as a result of either, we travel to un spoilt parts of the world in search of a perfect break. As such we experience some amazing sights and cultures which hopefully remind us how lucky we are and how diverse the world is in culture. I hope the following evokes some of those differences or reminds us of those questions we ask ourselves on our travels.

'Its crazy how just one event can change the whole direction of your life'
Source: from 'Shelter' surf video
'Consider this: all the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than that of humans. Ants have been incredibly industrious for millions of years, yet their productiveness nourishes plants, animals and soil. Human industry has been in full swing for little more than a century, yet it has brought about decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Nature doesn't have a design problem. People do. The endgame appears to have been to create a world in which we have no real idea of the effects of the chemicals we're using, on us or the environment, combined with the large-scale and inequitable use of natural resources. But that was then - people thought they were doing the right thing. Today is another day.'
Source: William McDonough, Architect

If you condense the population of the world to a 100 people there would be...

57
Asians
21
Europeans
14
From the western hemisphere
8
Africans
70
Would be non white
30
Would be white
89
Would be heterosexual
11
Would be homosexual
6
People would possess 59% of the entire worlds wealth & would all be from the US
80
Would live in substandard housing
70
Would be unable to read
50
Would suffer from malnutrition
1
Would be near death
1
Would be near birth
1
Would have a college education
1
Would own a computer

Source: From a message seen on a board at the Eden Project, Cornwall.