Pro skater Steve Berra recently shared some thoughts about how skateboarding has shaped his life and what it can teach us about connecting with people.
He points out that in today’s world, the majority tends to decide what is normal. If you disagree, you risk being labeled as different or even pushed out of social circles.
Society is shaped by what most people think is right, and going against that can feel risky unless your ideas gain traction and others start to see them too.
Skateboarding was one of those risky ideas, according to Berra. Growing up, he and his friends were often in dangerous situations, not because the tricks were dangerous, but because being a skateboarder could get you in trouble.
At first, it was something society didn’t accept. Skateboarders were seen as outsiders, often misunderstood and even feared. Over time, though, skateboarding became more widely recognized and respected.
What once put people at odds with the world around them eventually earned a place in culture where it hadn’t existed before.
Berra emphasizes that he doesn’t claim to have expertise on the wider world, but when it comes to skateboarding, he has seen its ability to bring people together. Skateboarding has a way of connecting people who might otherwise never meet or understand each other.
He’s watched it break down misunderstandings, bias, and conflict simply by having people skate in the same place at the same time.
In his words, the world is better when we skate together. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you believe, or what arguments exist outside the park.
When people roll together, it creates connection and understanding that goes beyond words. For Steve Berra, this shared experience is a starting point for a world that could use more cooperation and less division.