Our Gemara on Amud Aleph enumerates various obligations upon a father toward his son, including teaching him to swim. Rav Elyashiv (Divrei Aggadah, Devarim 14:9) asks, "Why did the rabbis specifically choose swimming when there must be many other hazards and skills to learn? Why not Mathematics to avoid being cheated or Self-defense in case of bandits?" Rav Elyashiv suggests that the Gemara chose swimming because of a double entendre. He explains that a piece of wood that floats on water is not called swimming. Swimming connotes the ability to purposefully move in any direction. A father must teach a son how to sometimes "swim against the tide," that is, not to succumb to peer pressure or mob psychology.

Similar to this idea, there is a comparable Gemara about Rabbi Akiva's experience being lost at sea (Yevamos 121a):

תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל: פַּעַם אַחַת הָיִיתִי מְהַלֵּךְ בִּסְפִינָה, וְרָאִיתִי סְפִינָה אַחַת שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרָה. וְהָיִיתִי מִצְטַעֵר עַל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁבָּהּ, וּמַנּוּ — רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא. וּכְשֶׁעָלִיתִי בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, בָּא וְיָשַׁב וְדָן לְפָנַי בַּהֲלָכָה. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: בְּנִי, מִי הֶעֶלְךָ? אָמַר לִי: דַּף שֶׁל סְפִינָה נִזְדַּמֵּן לִי, וְכׇל גַּל וְגַל שֶׁבָּא עָלַי — נִעְנַעְתִּי לוֹ רֹאשִׁי.

Rabban Gamliel said: Once I was traveling on a boat, and from a distance I saw a boat that shattered and sank. And I was grieved over the apparent death of the Torah scholar who was on board. And who was it? Rabbi Akiva. But when I disembarked onto dry land, he came, and sat, and deliberated before me about halakha. I said to him: My son, who brought you up from the water? He said to me: A plank from the boat came to me, and I bent my head before each and every wave that came toward me. The waves did not wash me off the board, and I reached the shore.

One can imagine being lost in a vast ocean, needing to tread water, not knowing for how long, not knowing when or if a rescue will come. Therefore, here too, this Gemara can also be understood metaphorically. Rabbi Akiva, facing an overwhelming situation, found a way to cope minute by minute. He let the waves pass over him and took it one wave at a time.

Sometimes you need to go with the flow, and sometimes you need to swim against the tide. Both of these are necessary survival skills.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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