By Adam Kaplan
As most of you know, much of my winter is spent travelling to various cities around the country to reconnect with campers, alumni, and staff, and meet prospective new families. Admittedly, the amount of travel that I do can sometimes be a bummer as it means so much time away from my family. In an effort to improve my spirits, I spend most of my flight time binge-watching television shows that interest me. Lately, I have blown through a series called The Plot Against America based on a novel by the same name written by Philip Roth. The show posits the question of what would the world have been like if Charles Lindbergh, a Nazi sympathizer and isolationist opposed to entering WWII, had run against and defeated Franklin Roosevelt in 1940. (Spoiler alert…the world would be a much different and more awful place!) This genre is called a counterfactual in which causes and effects of different events are sort of turned on their heads and looked at in a different way. In short…the counterfactual is a massive exploration of WHAT IF?
One of the main points that I took away from watching this show was that, seemingly, all events, no matter how large or small, can have a huge impact on the future. It gets you thinking. For example, certainly the ramifications of Columbus’ journey to North America have been felt throughout the world, on so many levels, since that fateful day in 1492. What if he actually sailed to India instead of North America as he intended? What if Alexander Fleming had been a more fastidious man, and had decided to clean his Petri dishes before heading off on vacation in 1928?
As the miles pass and I let my mind wander a bit more, I cannot help myself from doing a bit of musing myself. Camp Nebagamon counterfactuals began to flood my mind.
Muggs ponders his missed opportunity at Super Bowl fame and fortune…
What if… Muggs Lorber (a college quarterback from 1922-24) had decided to enter the NFL instead of dedicating his life to the growth of young men? What if… Muggs and Janet had decided to found a co-ed camp? What if… Nardie and Sally had not decided to beef up our in-camp program by adding four designated project periods to every day? What if… Roger and Judy had not chosen to formalize and expand upon Nebagamon’s Campership program? What if… E.J. Hahn had not improved and formalized our Big Brother/Little Brother program by creating the Big Brother/Little Brother soiree? What if… Frank Sachs had not created new programs at camp like Wannado and Guinness T. Nebagamon to keep things fresh? What if… Bendt Rorsted had not come over from Denmark and introduced orienteering to camp in 1952? What if… Troy Brodsky had not revamped the Cabin Cookout menus to make the food both more tasty and more interesting to cook? What if… the sugar shortage during WWII had not necessitated the creation of the All-Camp Birthday on July 25, 1942?
On a less serious note, What if… the Dairy Queen decided to stop accepting camp checks? What if… the Bike Shack was still a functioning hot dog stand within camp? What if… campers were allowed to bring as much candy as they would like to camp? What if… the camp water fountains flowed with bug juice? What if… the third round of Sunday morning sweet rolls tasted as good as the first? What if… the wind and rain the night before had not washed the signs away? What if… A.K. Agikamik was added to the Department of Homeland Security’s NO-FLY list?
Whether serious or silly, big or small, one thing is very clear. The events and people of the past, present, and future play a major role in shaping what Camp Nebagamon has become and will become. Some of these events were very deliberate changes that were instituted to make camp a better place, and some others were wonderful, serendipitous occurrences that also helped to shape camp.
The primary realization that I walk away with after thinking about all of this is that camp is a great place for What if… At camp we are in the enviable position of being able to ask What if… all the time. Each day of each summer we are presented with the opportunity to ask ourselves What if… and then explore the idea. What if… I try out the photography program for the first time today? What if… I face my fears and sign up for that Boundary Waters trip I have been thinking about? What if… I reach out to that kid that seems so unhappy lately and extend the hand of friendship and support? How will my world be different? How will I affect others’ lives?
Let’s all start to ask ourselves What if… on a regular basis. The possibilities are endless.
