Commentary: All are welcome to surf our wonderful coastline

It was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who said that the hardest things to see in life are the most obvious things. It’s funny, but, well, obvious.

For example, take surfing.

Anybody who has grown up in Southern California has grown up around surfing. It’s one of those things that’s always there. Right in front of us.

Therefore, it’s hard to see.

But if you think about it, the surfing world is really kind of amazing. For one thing, it’s healthy. Talk about being out in the open air. And it’s athletic.

If you surf, you are automatically getting exercise. Some people have trouble with their balance. Not surfers. They work on it all the time. And when was the last time you saw an overweight surfer? Surfers are lean and fit. They are, to some extent, the envy of the world.

Surfers cooperate with each other. A surfer who can’t learn to look out for other people won’t last long in the waves. There is an unspoken camaraderie among surfers, a sense of, “Let’s just all get along and appreciate the waves.”

Surfing is peaceful. Surfers don’t carry guns. They don’t even seem to carry grudges. Has any surfing magazine ever suggested that war needs to be declared?

Surfing is democratic. Anyone can surf. All are welcome.

Surfers love the natural world. Sunshine. Palm trees. Clean beaches. Clean water. When was the last time a surfer was arrested for oil pollution?

And surfing is fun. Who leaves the beach depressed after a day of surfing?

“Surfin’ USA.” “Add Some Music to Your Day.” “Good Vibrations.” Cheerful music is in the air, along with the banana sun tan cream.

“Surf City” may not rank up there with London’s Bloomsbury or Paris’s Left Bank.

But maybe it should.

Dr. STEVE DAVIDSON is a clinical psychologist in Newport Beach.