Liferider

April 22, 2019
Surfer Hamilton (Take Every Wave) offers simplistic and shop-worn advice in this self-help manual that reads like an infomercial for his Liferider philosophy, which is based on five pillars: death & fear, heart, body, soul, and connectivity. Individuals need to experience fear, Hamilton believes, to understand serenity completely; hanging in the space between life and death—in surfing, for example—allows them to face such fear (“Fear is about respect. Fear leads to informed action”). Regarding soul, Hamilton posits that trust and reciprocity involve listening and learning—and, in turn, learning fosters growth in one’s soul as well as their body. Tying his concepts together in the chapter “Everything Is Connected,” Hamilton encourages individuals to engage with the world around them, eat well, and develop compassion for others. Laird concludes with the tired suggestion that people should live life to its fullest and offers rudimentary adages (“everything is connected”; “try something new”; “our heart is connected to our feelings”). Even Laird’s fans will be left wishing for a more focused, profound book.