Is Surfing a Subversive Activity?

With a full day ahead of me, I realized if I was going to get any exercise in for the day it would need to be early. I decided I should beat the traffic and arrived at the office, aka, school early. I put on my walking shoes and head phones a little annoyed that I didn't have enough time to walk the loop in my neighborhood. Full disclosure: the walk near work offers me an unadulterated view of the Pacific Ocean. I remind myself of that fact on a regular basis and yet—there's something to be said for creature comforts—or in this case, my signature stroll.

I made my way toward Ocean Beach with 30 minutes to spare. It was slightly gray and a little cold, with no wind to be found. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something I had never seen before: a surfer with a board attached to his bicycle. Riding his bi-ped in a wet suit, I found the physics of this feat to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I thought to myself,  Nice. What a perfect way to start the day. I envy this man. Freedom and fun. Let's go!

Later in the day, I walked behind the school building; from this perch one can still see the Pacific. For some reason, that surfer came to mind. A burning question popped into my head. I needed an answer. I wondered, Is surfing a subversive activity?

I started to consider the ways I think it might be. You're going to tell me that a human being can enter into that vast pull and power of the ocean and work with it for no other purpose than enjoyment. Seems daring. Pretty ridiculous. Totally scary. Rather improbable and yet magnificent.

Let me be clear, no government is or ever will be overthrown by surfers or an organized union of them. Why not? Because part of surfing is that its very nature defies organization. For example, the name of the popular movie "Soul Surfer" actually describes philosophical and spiritual concept first developed and introduced in the 1960s to define the sport - or activity - in its purest form.

As written in "Twelve Signs You Know You're a Soul Surfer," 

As with many other sports, there is always an innate drive to seek and find the original and unadulterated values, virtues, and essence of something simultaneously special and fragile.

The roots of surfing are rich and culturally significant.

The practice of riding waves blends utility and pleasure, necessity and joy, and has been socially adopted by Polynesian and Peruvian societies for thousands of years.

So, when the sport of surfing became a commercial hit in the Southern California beach culture, some felt the need to detach themselves from the profit-oriented side that quickly emerged from it.

Surfing purists are often called soul surfers.

The expression "soul surfer" was first used to name a song by Johnny Fortune (1943-2006), a surf guitar hero from Warren, Ohio.

Soul surfers are the guardians of the ultimate joy of walking on water.

They (aim to) represent the sport's counterculture; they're an informal army of unarmed soldiers or missionaries that remind us of what, in the end, surfing is all about.

"Never defined by tenets or principles, soul surfing nonetheless came into its own in the mid-and late-1970s as the catchall opposition philosophy to professional surfing, which encompassed not only prize money competition but much of the surf industry and surf media," notes Matt Warshaw, author of "The Encyclopedia of Surfing."

Whether or not that man with the board on a bike is a full fledged soul surfer, in the Outer Sunset, there is the sent that surfers surf for joy, to connect to nature. They surf to be part of a community, to live a life less ordinary. As written in Soul & Surf, "They don’t surf as a sport to win prizes... it's a little bit more spiritual than that. It is a complete and consuming immersion in nature, a submission to the whims of a set of corduroy lines determined by a pressure system in a faraway ocean. It is soul and life and compassion and style – and a glimmer of connection to the present moment that is addictive and extraordinary and essential." In short, they surf for the stoke.

Ocean Beach, San Francisco

And this is what I find subversive. In a culture obsessed with measurement and gain, rankings and titles, surfing stands somewhat singular. It says "try me" on a whim and a dare. It brings a man or woman, teen and a few elders into the chilly ocean—saltwater and all—offrring but a  simple message: enjoy. You may or may not agree with my deducction, but it's hard to deny: surfing certainly is spiritual.

I can't join these soul surfers (I did ask my caridologist) but please know, I nod and bow to those of you looking for but one thing on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday morning: the perfect wave. 

I'll end with the closure of a former surfing club president wrote on his emails: stay stoked. I mean it.

Photo Credits
Ocean Beach
Bike 
Local Surfers

Bethany Hamilton: Be a Light for Him

If I woke up every day and asked myself "How can I be a light for Him?" I might live differently. I believe I would be more honest and kind to all those I meet. I wonder: Would seek and find more joy? I hope that I would radiate something so powerful that others would inquire about its source: What is it that illuminates your vision, guides your path and leads the way? Perhaps this light is what countless young people see in professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton. It's hard not to.

Being a light for Him is a question that Hamilton, the subject of the 2011 movie, "Soul Surfer" prayed about, intensely before she lost her arm in a shark attack on Halloween night in 2003. As seen in the video posted here, she had given her life to Christ at an early age. For as close as two weeks prior to the attack, Bethany and her mom were prayerfully discerning how she could glorify God through surfing. I love her prayer; it resonates with the four letters we invite every student at St Ignatius College Prep, where I teach, to place at the top of their work: AMDG. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. For the Greater Glory of God. Do what you do for God, to magnify God's greatness. 

Bethany was very specific in her prayer; she wanted to be more than just a surfer—she wanted to be a light for Him. Though she did pray that her surfboard could serve as a platform to be that light, she never imagined how it would come to be. Bethany is lucky to be alive; she lost 60% of her blood in the attack. And for anyone who surfs, they know it's hard enough to get up, stay balanced and ride waves with two arms, let alone one. 

I teach two sections of class called "The Challenge of Scripture" to sophomores. Though the Word can sometimes be foreign, strange or unfamiliar, when it is put in context, when it relates to our lives and when it's heard with open minds and hearts, it nourishes us in a way that little else does. We teach that Scripture can serve as: 
1. a bridge
2. a mirror
3. a light

As a bridge, the Word of God connects us to each other. It carries us over rough waters and to new places. As a mirror, it helps us understand who we are. It can reveal what we need to see in ourselves and often cannot. As as a light, it can guide us through the darkness. It can illuminate what God has in store for us and for all of God's children. 

And yet, I once heard you may be the only Bible a person will ever read. Well, for those who only learn the story of Bethany Hamilton, they will know how Scripture can work as a light and what today's Gospel is really all about. She is not shy about having just one arm; in every picture of Bethany—be it in a bathing suit, her wedding dress, or in a crowd, she does not hide her missing limb. She radiates a joy and light of love, God's great love that offered her consolation and the continued gift to be one with the water in surfing—one of the most spiritual of all sports. 

As my students and I read and prayed with today's Gospel, I offered prayers for Bethany Hamilton and for her family. I showed the Youtube video in class and let the Word come to life...and light.

Luke 8: 16-18
Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

Photo Credits
Family
Quote

Beyond Little Surfer Girl: Time to Recognize Big Wave Surfer Girls

Over the 4th of July weekend, I made a pilgrimage to Hawthorne, California—the childhood home of the Beach Boys. I wanted to see the birth place of a band that produced what Rolling Stone considers to be the second greatest Rock album of all time: "Pet Sounds." It should be duly noted that magical record shaped what is believed to be the number one Rock n Roll album, "Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band." But I digress...

I encountered a town that was at one point in time, the portrait of middle class America. Living in San Francisco, the notion of that demographic is increasingly hard to find. But the Hawthorne where Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson went to high school, cruised around eating at the local Foster's Freeze was just that. Public parks, modest homes, and a whole lot of nothing special is now known for some of the greatest harmonies on an LP.

Hawthorne is less than 10 miles from the closest beach. Yet among the three Wilson brothers, their cousin Mike Love (who is the uncle of NBA star Kevin Love) and Al Jardin, only one was a surfer—Dennis. He claimed that their music—hits like Surfin', Surf's Up, and Surfin' Safari didn't resonate with most surfers. But it captured the imagination of everyone else. The California myth was born. I'd like to think it is alive today.

One need not travel to Southern California to learn more about this mythos. The film "Love & Mercy" as written by Rotten Tomatoes "presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer, songwriter and leader of The Beach Boys. Set against the era defining catalog of Wilson's music, the film intimately examines the personal voyage and ultimate salvation of the icon whose success came at extraordinary personal cost."

It is not exactly "Fun, Fun, Fun." Wilson's personal story is heavy, but I love learning the "story inside the story." That's right. If you scratch the surface on most great bands and musicians, you will learn more about other music, their influences, history and more. The Beach Boys are no different. Brian Wilson, the lead singer and songwriter is a true musical genius. He heard Revolver, the Beatle's seventh studio album and it made way for the integration of sounds and instruments that defines songs like "God Only Knows," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," and "Caroline, No."

Two Female Mavs

But even before that masterpiece, the Beach Boys had a string of hits. And one that I've always loved is "Surfer Girl" (a small part of me wishes I am the girl they sing about). Once I tell you the song that influenced this song, you'll never hear it the same way. Perhaps it's because Hawthorne isn't all that far from Anaheim, the home of Disneyland that Wilson would have encountered this Disney hit, but yes "When You Wish Upon a Star" (from Pinnochio) is what gave way to this lovely rock ditty.

If the Beach Boys were to write a song for surfer girls in Northern California, my hope is that they would honor the Big Wave Surfer Girls. The Mavericks, an event held every winter just off the coast of Half Moon Bay (a town but 15 miles south of SF) now hosts a new event to giver female surfers a chance to shine. I'm sorry it took me a trip to Huntington Beach and back before I honored Surfer Girls. Stay stoked ladies and promote awesomeness.

And thanks Mikey for joining me on the journey: Hawthorne—>Lucy's—>Lucky Strike gym.

Photo Credits
Big Wave Surfer
Surfer Girl

Stay Stoked in 2012: A New Year's Resolution Worth Considering

When I read that "learning how to surf" is the New Year’s resolution of fashion icon Tory Burch, I thought, “of course it is.” She can afford to travel to the warm, desirable locations where one can do that. Surfing will also provide her with the opportunity to sport her 2012 Resort Collection. Tory doesn’t know how to look anything less than beautiful in a swimsuit; I have no doubt she is the “Surfer Girl” the Beach Boys sang about. But according to her fashion blog Tory wants to learn to surf so she "can go with my boys instead of being a beach bystander." If Ms. Burch follows through on her resolution and I hope she does, she will find something much more than an adrenaline rush. She will encounter a sport that is as palpably spiritual as the community it draws together.

Surfers fascinate me. And as opposed to Tory Burch, they are often iconoclasts (wait, she’s a fashion designer…excuse me!) Their nature is fearless, and yet their sport makes them acutely aware of their limitations. They love and respect “Mother Ocean” and understand the role we all hold as stewards of God’s creation. Although surfing is a sport of one man/woman and one board, it’s rarely a singular endeavor. No, surfers form a community. A community that speaks a common language, that participates for the love of the sport (autotelic) and is one that exemplifies devotion.In the surfing documentary “Riding Giants” Sam George speaks of surfers in an important way when he says If you applied the same amount of devotion to a real pursuit like religion, do you think anyone would call you a religious bum? Probably not.

When you consider that surfing is really more than anything, a faith and devotion to that faith becomes paramount in your life, there is no such thing as a surf bum.

In this way, I think all Christians have a lot to learn from surfers. With surfers, it’s easy to identify their passion; it is central to their life. Essentially, their life bears witness to the truth what you do is who you become. And if you spend enough time around surfers you will realize that is always supported through community.

It is no different in Christian faith. In the article “If We Stop Loving People We Are in Terrible Trouble” Theodore Cardinal McCarrick states “We have to…hold youngsters close to the Lord and give them the opportunity of growing in their love of God and grow in the understanding that we are not made as individuals; we don’t save our souls as individuals, we save our souls as part of a community.”Catholicism in particular is distinguished from other Christian traditions in its understanding of and commitment to the principle of community. In "Catholicism," theologian Richard McBrien states “Even when the divine-human encounter is most personal and individual, it is still communal, in that the encounter is made possible by the mediation of a community of faith. For Catholicism, there is no relationship with God, however profound or intense, that dispenses entirely with the communal context of every relationship with God.” I have a strong suspicion that surfers understand this claim based on what they love, what they do, and how that is shared with others.

But many of us think, “it’s between God and me. I can work on my relationship with God on my time.” In our fast paced world, this is a scary proposition to me. The first thing that gets cut on a busy day is time for quiet, in prayer. Or many claim they get more out of an extra hour of sleep or their “alone time” than in going to Mass. But there's a big difference between being a bystander and a participant. Community benefits from our presence and in sharing our gifts. At its best, it will support us in our limitations and struggles, celebrate our joys and triumphs. At its worst, we may not "get a lot out of it" but to draw from a surfing mindset, it might be wise to "ride the wave" and keep your eye on the horizon.

Whatever your New Year's Resolution, I hope that you too may get a chance in 2012 to move from being a bystander to a participant either in surfing or in your faith tradition. I hope you spend time with Mother Ocean and God the Father. And like any surfer would say "Stay Stoked." 2012 is full of promise and potential--it is, after all, the year of the Dragon!

Photo Credits
Community of Surfers
Tory and Surfers
Riding Giants
Long Board