Casey, Bono, and Tim
Three influencers who helped shape my life
In my previous post, I spoke about how Rev. Timothy Keller greatly influenced the current shape of my life. In the days since, I have continued to think about that influence. Furthermore, I have come to recognize a few other real-life individuals that, when put together like a fruit smoothie that tastes far healthier than it is, give a general shape of why my life looks the way it does. The only anomaly is that none of them are bloggers.
So, here are my three life-style influencers. I would not actually claim that they are my three biggest influences. A top ten list of those with the most significant impact on me would consist of mostly personal relations, starting with my parents and brothers, and including friends, seminary professors, pastors, and–dare I forget–my beautiful wife. Rather, the three influencers below are those whom I have borrowed from (or even plagiarized) in constructing the routines of my daily life and the characterizing patterns that bring color to that life. Observing their lifestyles and personal charismas from afar has given me a vision for my own goals.
Timothy Keller (Pastor/Professor)
I will spend little time here retrodding trodden ground, but Keller’s impact on me has been singularly significant. Consider that I moved to his city, learned from his seminary, joined his denomination and now spend the best hours of my day in pursuit of the goals he recommended (the increase of Christ’s kingdom in this city). From Keller, I have plagiarized my career (albeit a far less significant version of that career), joining in the same line of work that he did while utilizing many of the tools, strategies, and philosophies of ministry that he taught. His is–by far–the greatest influence of the three.
Casey Neistat (Youtube Vlogger):
Ah, and now things take an interesting turn. Casey Neistat has been called the “godfather of vlogging.” He revolutionized the informal videoing of one’s own life by starting a consistent daily vlog and applying professional videography and storytelling techniques to it. He is an influencer in the classic sense of the term (“classic,” here, referring to the year 2012): an entertainer who entertains by showing off his own life. He has only a passing interest in the big questions of religion (he is, seemingly, a non-practicing Jew). Here, I am interacting with a social media influencer on their terms. I don’t see the real man behind the camera; I only see the man holding up his camera with one arm while pointing the lens at himself.
And yet, Casey’s DNA has still been mixed in with mine to positive effect. I have sought to plagiarize the way Casey goes about his productive and optimistic life. This plagiarizing goes beyond my choice of transportation (I own one of Casey’s signature electric skateboards); I love his lifestyle. Casey prioritizes his energy by constantly bettering his fitness, eating, sleep, and work routines. Yet, he is far more free-spirited than the dull health influencers who fill up social media pages while toting their calorie counting prisons. Rather, he produces a lifestyle vlog whose main characters are his own joys, ambitions, and New York City herself.
Casey prioritizes his creativity by allowing himself to be constantly inspired by everything he sees around him. In Casey’s case, what is around him is New York City, and I now find myself inspired by what he is inspired by. The New York I step into on a daily basis is the one that Casey sculpted for me; he is my interpreter–my William Tyndale–of New York.
His daily vlog is essentially a case study of daily work life in the city. To Casey, work is a worthy challenge and he resists its tendency to stifle him by interacting with it creatively and ambitiously.
Bono (Rockstar/Philanthropist):
My final influencer is by far the most well-known. If it isn’t clear by now, much of the goals presented by these men’s lives are “reach goals.” In Bono’s case, the “reach goal” is even more fantastic: I want to be a rockstar. The lead vocalist for the band U2 is on this list as its representative poet and seeker of the divine and sublime. Punk Rock has often defined itself as a spirit of rebellion against the norms and institutions of the day. But where other rockers limit their tunes and lyrics to teenage angst against responsibility and respectability, Bono took this rebellion to a higher level by rebelling against the fallen and corrupted world itself. His songs (and the Edge’s music) reach upward and beyond. Many of them reach the level of worship. His recent memoir will be required reading for all future Bragg children. He is no Keller in terms of theological thoughtfulness or clear and constant elucidation of the Gospel, but my imitation of his charismatic adventure-poet spirit is the source of many joys in my life. There is something about the rockstar that we all should imitate. It's the pull to not merely state the good we see or quietly lament the evil around us, but to shout them so loudly the whole world hears us. From Bono I have plagiarized my own interest for the sublime that is already here, but not yet fully revealed. Music hits that note the closest.
Mix these three lifestyles up and the Frankenstein amalgamation comes close to my own aspirations for the persona I seek to develop in myself. It's a dangerous business talking about influencers. We are all influenced by others just as we all influence others. No influence is perfect. I once asked a pastor I knew if they had any heroes in the faith. They replied “no, just Jesus really.” And, indeed, Christ is our ultimate example, our head. Everyone else comes with negative baggage. But it would be naive to think that we don’t need to use the lives of others to envision our own trajectories, even in the minutiae of developing our specific personalities. Inspiration often comes from those around us. As Bono himself states:
“I saw a statue of a gold guitar,
bright lights right in front of me”
Read other posts from Micah at micahbragg.substack.com