Always talk about religion and politics when you go fly fishing.

And why wouldn’t you? Perhaps you have been told that such subjects are taboo for the dinner table, the break room, or the morning train. But maybe that is part of what is wrong with society. We can’t handle a difference of opinion. Furthermore, we can’t reconcile disagreement with cordiality. We have become intolerant of tolerance. So we do not talk. And not talking is often evidence of not thinking.

Fly fishers know that the woods and the water lead to contemplation. So, let us be better. Let us think.

Although the mind can wander, it often thinks about what it prioritizes. What matters to you? Talk about it when you are fly fishing. Now, this is not a license to be a raving zealot or lecturing hermit. Just talk about it. Explore ideas. Consider your presuppositions. Work concepts out to their logical conclusions. Share your opinion, and then contemplate a second one.

Can you talk about it and still enjoy the water? Of course. You are wonderfully made. You can think about two things at once. Furthermore, your mind has to go somewhere. Why not make a habit of giving it some exercise? You can still focus on the fish, the insects, and all the other necessary things. You are capable of both/and. You are able to cast and consider; each with enough effort to be effective.

The common counterpoint is that fly fishing should be an escape. It should be. It is. But you can never completely escape. You go wherever you go. So why not allow yourself to think, to process, and to grow while you are fly fishing? The quiet and the concentration, the long drives and the tedious walks; they all are tailor made for putting two and two together. For figuring things out and returning with perspective.

Do not think this does not apply to you. Everyone is religious. Everyone is political. Saying you are not religious or political is, in fact, your confession or affiliation. How do you think about yourself? your neighbor? your neighborhood, your country, your world? How do you think about your God and how you stand before Him?

You do think about it. So say it.

What are you afraid of? Seeking answers that require more than a Tweet-length reply should not be scary. It might be contrary to the current cultural climate, but that may very well be a good thing. It is a good thing.

In a time when we often run to echo chambers, there is truly no more wide-open place than the vast skies of nature. There is more room to think and to speak. But more always challenges you because it highlights the contrasts. The mountains and the oceans should humble you. The ceaseless flow of rivers, even the gentle trickle of streams, should soften your edges. Let your time out there prepare you for the rest of your time. Let your escape prepare you for your return. Seek trout and beautiful places; seek truth and conviction. Let your time fly fishing make you better.

Always talk about religion and politics when you go fly fishing, even if you are all by yourself.