By Adam Kaplan
When I sat down in front of my computer screen this morning to start my work day, I began as I always do, by reading the news. Today I read stories about a squabble between Disneyworld and the state of Florida. I learned more about civil unrest and emergency evacuations in Sudan. I read about yet another debt ceiling crisis looming. I learned of Russian troop movements in Ukraine. Still more frightening information was shared nuclear submarines being sent to South Korea. I read an article about how the Kardashian/Jenners are losing popularity and there is astrological proof of it. And yet another mass shooting….
It’s time to go to camp….
It never fails that this time of year I grow increasingly disgusted with the state of the world, politically, socially, economically, and entertainment-ly (I know…not a word….work with me here, huh?). The combination of really bad news with the absurdly unimportant things going on in the world that we attach false importance to, gradually pushes me to a point where I want nothing more than to leave all of that “news” behind and escape. And the fates have granted me a life that requires that I take a several month break from that world.
For those of you that are unaware of how we do things at camp during the summers, you should know that we have made the decision that when camp is in session, we do not read the news. In fact, the closest that we come to sharing current events with the camp family is the daily morning ritual of reading the baseball scores. (And in truth, the only reason that we do this is to give the kids an opportunity to wake up and work out their lungs with cacophonous cheers and boos…. coming mostly from kids that could not name a single player on virtually any team in Major League Baseball!!)
To be clear, while we do believe that it is important that we, as responsible people, stay informed about the state of the world and important world events, we also think it is a healthy exercise to take a month or two to detach one’s self from that world. We believe this for several reasons.
First, there can be little doubt that being bombarded with all of the bad news of the world takes a toll on us. I am sure that virtually all of us have had moments of temporary (or in some cases, perpetual) despair because of the sometimes seemingly hopeless state of the world. We all need a break….and camp affords us that break.
Second, constant contact with the 24/7 news cycles makes one lose perspective on what is really important. Sure, I should have known better than to click on the article about how the zodiac has determined that the Kardashian/Jenners are headed for obscurity, but someone is writing this stuff, someone is reading this stuff…it passes for news. Yet, when we are inundated with story after story about it, it throws off our perspective, and we start to believe that it really matters….
Lastly, it is important that we be willing to lose touch with the outside world so that we can get in touch with ourselves, get in touch with each other, and get in touch with nature. In leaving all of these things behind for a month or two, we afford ourselves the time, focus, and energy to connect with each other in a way that the outside world sometimes doesn’t allow. Anyone that has ever been to camp knows that the friendships and connections that are forged up there, away from “reality,” are significantly different and more substantive than virtually all of those that exist in the outside world.
As I am writing this, I am listening to a heated discussion over whether or not Kim Kardashian is qualified to serve as a wedding officiant…. It’s time to go to camp… See you there!!!
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“This summer would be successful if I can connect with my campers. I’m someone who is close in age to them, so I can share their unique perspective, and relate to them in a different way than their parents.”
12th – Jesse Chan, Ian Fogel, Levi Gladstein