I admit to feeling a twinge of jealousy when I saw an Instagram photo of Caroline Kennedy, arms outstretched and a grin on her sixty-five-year-old face, surfing a wave in Australia. “Wait a minute! If she can do it….”
But that’s as far as it went. Because as much as I am committed to learning how to “surf the culture,” to navigate its winds and waves as one of God’s beloved children, I’ve been thinking lately that I may need to give my virtual surfboard a rest.
Why? Well, one reason is that I’m older than Caroline Kennedy, not quite old enough to have been her babysitter, but old enough to realize I have less stamina than previously. Things have shifted. These days I find myself longing for a little more white space—what publishers call the blank space on a page that makes for easier reading. I long for more hours in which to be less productive and more reflective. I would also love more space to simply be available for those who need me, like family members and friends.
So I am going to put Surfing the Culture on hiatus. Doing so means that, I may pick it up again at some point, offering a post here and there if time and energy allows. But I will feel no pressure to do so.
Though it’s been a short journey (my first Substack article was in September), I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned. I’m also glad to have found my voice despite living in a culture that increasingly presses us to be quiet if we disagree with its brand of orthodoxy. Finding our voices as people of faith is critical, because silence simply enables the most popular and loudest Pied Piper to lead people—particularly our young—into pits that may be hard to climb out of.
Because I cherish free speech, I plan to keep speaking when the Lord provides an opportunity. I’d love to encourage you to speak up as well because voices of civility, confidence, love, and truth are a gift to everyone. Instead of giving in to the pressure to keep silent, we need to find the courage to have honest conversations about things that matter.
I’ve also learned that preparation is necessary. If we are going to engage, we need to be well informed. For me that has meant trying to understand diverse viewpoints, reading both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for instance or The Atlantic and First Things. Time after time, studies have shown that those who consume only echo media—media that agrees with their political point of view—will move toward more extreme views. If you’re feeding on only NPR, MSNBC, and The Washington Post, you’re likely moving toward more progressive extremes. If you subsist on a diet of Fox News and Breitbart, you’re sailing farther to the right and closer to a cliff.
I’ve learned, too, that I need a community of people who can help me hammer out ideas and points of view. My community has been largely virtual as I’ve sought out voices who are thoughtfully calling us back to middle ground, to a return of sanity and civility. People like David French, David French - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Curtis Chang Podcast - Redeeming Babel and Russell Moore, Russell Moore - Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel are favorites. Andrew Sullivan, Andrew Sullivan , and Bari Weiss Bari Weiss are always thought-provoking even though I might at times find myself vigorously disagreeing. There are nuggets of truth everywhere if only we will take the time to look for them. Maybe part of learning to “surf the culture” involves finding your own community of responsible writers and thinkers--not partisan hacks--who can help broaden, challenge, and sharpen your thinking.
The most important thing about surfing is that we do it always as followers of Jesus. Staying close to him will keep us from feeling perpetually fearful, helpless, or outraged as we navigate cultural upheaval. He will provide the wisdom we need to live both fruitfully and joyfully regardless of what’s happening around us. He may also, at times, urge us to repent of the most common vices of the day, including self-righteous posturing and an anything-goes attitude toward gaining political and cultural power. As long as he is in the lead and we are following, all will be well.
So thank you for subscribing to Surfing the Culture. I hope you’ll keep your name on the list in case I decide to pipe up from time to time. Even though I’ll be doing my surfing more privately, it is my fervent hope that you will decide to grab your own surfboard and head out into the waves, confident that in the midst of these cultural storms, Jesus will keep you from falling.
Who knows what may happen if you do? You may get so good at it you’ll be able to shout, “Watch out, Caroline Kennedy--here I come!”
Ann, thank you so much for this post! It is all good, but your third paragraph, about wanting white space, resonates with me. I've decided to "retire" from publishing, reviewing, having a platform---and the need for white space in my life for the pursuits you mention is what I'm after. And I also am older than Caroline Kennedy! Thanks again.
Thank you for helping me see beyond my small world. "Peace like a river" as you enjoy time with family & friends.
Debra