Other Surfers

Thomas Merton once said that in life, with every person you come in contact with, you have the opportunity for that moment to be heaven or hell for that person. Every interaction you have throughout your day moves that person closer to or further away from God. Now is the time to ask yourself which way you are sending people. Now I'm going to tie this into surfing. There several distinct character-types in the surfing world. Even if you've never surfed, you ought to be able to identify with one of them. I hope you'll catch the analogy of these types to people in our spiritual lives and how each one is illustrated in Merton's assertion. I'm not going to tell you which one I am. We're all sitting in the same line-up. We're all trying to catch the same waves.*

Type 1: The Newbie- This person is just learning. They are awkward and unsure. They make a lot of mistakes and can get in the way. They have caught their first wave and are hooked. It is youthful enthusiasm. They won't catch the best wave, they may not even catch that many waves, but they have a certain contentment that is contagious. They are happy just to be there. They are over-joyed at surfing whitewash on a wave an experienced surfer wouldn't even paddle for. The wave is still awe-inspiring mystery and every encounter is the best thing ever.

Type 2: The Guru- This guy is a seasoned veteran. He doesn't need the biggest or best wave. He'll let you have it. It doesn't matter, whatever wave he takes is going to look like the wave of the day. He's not fighting with the wave, he's in a mutual embrace with the wave. For this surfer a session is no longer about wave-counts and tricks or the people on beach seeing what he just did; surfing is about surfing. He is genuinely happy to see any surfer catch a good wave and have fun. His surfing is the relationship of the lover and the beloved.

Type 3: The Old Guy- He's the one set up ten-yards behind everyone else so he gets first pick of the waves because, he's earned it. He gripes about the conditions; the waves were better/water was cleaner/beaches less crowded when he was younger. The kids' shorts are too long. There are too many people in the water. Why don't they go somewhere else? After all, he's been surfing here for years. He's one of the guys that make a beginner not want to come back. His actions teach the kids that waves are property and you don't have to share. In many ways, he's forgotten why he loves surfing, now it's more habit.

Type 4: The Pro- Well, first, on the Gulf Coast there are no pros, so I'm being sarcastic. The Pro is the guy that believes himself to be of professional ability. In many ways the Pro is the Old Guy before he got old. He will have the latest board technologies that are advertised in magazines. He will wear the the latest in current surf-fashion and have all manner of advertising on his board, truck, and clothing even though he's not sponsored by any of them. He may be a very talented surfer, but he's a jerk. He believes that his talent means he has right-of-way on any wave he chooses and everyone should marvel at his greatness. When he is surfing he makes sure everyone knows it. If another surfer catches a good wave he sees it as a personal affront and seeks to establish dominance. Where the Guru embraces the wave, the Pro attacks it. His surfing is a battle with the ocean for supremacy. The wave is an object to be used.

Type 5: The Kook- Just like the Pro only he sucks. He is all advertisement, no content. Calling himself a surfer and looking/acting the part is an attempt to feed his ego. The Pharisee of surfing.

Type 6: The Betty- Though the Betty is usually female for the purposes of this metaphor it is not restrictive. Betty is not really a surfer. Betty owns a surfboard. Surfing is an excuse for Betty to paddle her board out in the middle of half-a-dozen men in her bikini. She may try for a wave, she may not, but that's not the point. The point is: did you see me in my bikini?

Each of these is a gross generalization of surfers. These are the people you encounter in the water. Some enhance your surfing, others distract. In reality most of us are probably a combination of a few of these stereotypes. When I think about what Merton said I have to ask myself which one I am. Am I a newbie, still full of wonder and awe? It's possible to maintain that innocence (maybe?). But there is a danger there. If I remain a newbie people will be attracted to my joy and want to surf, but they may also be turned away by lack of real understanding, my nievete. Am I a guru? I would hope that we all read this and think we want to be the guru (but if we already think we are, we're probably dishonest). I hope that my surfing, my attitude in the line-up, my overall surfness draws people into the water. I'm not old enough to be an Old Guy and I really hope I'm not heading that direction. I hope my surfing never becomes a source of resentment and holier-than-thou judgmentalism. I would be genuinely saddened to think my behavior had ever made a newbie or a grom (kid that surfs) feel unwelcome in the water. I would also hope I'm not the Pro. This one dangerous because I am good and I know it. This kind of attitude has a very real possibility of turning into a self-rightousness and an arrogance that not only scare the beginners away but anger the veterans that can help me move past the level I'm stuck on. I know I'm not a Kook, and hope you aren't either. I guess, in the end we should be striving to be the Guru. At least we're on the right path even if we haven't got there yet.  

Anybody out there who is a surfer, I'd love to get your take on this. What are the different character types you've encountered? Is this assessment close to true, or way off?

*Obviously, the line-up is metaphor for our spiritual life and the wave is metaphor for God.