CholHamoed CommonSense: Canoeing, Camping.

When I began writing this blog two years ago, I wasn't sure which direction the blog would take me. This is somewhat reminiscent of a book I read when I was a child titled "Little Bunny Follows His Nose". Sometimes you just need to follow your instincts wherever they may lead.

Many posts have focused on how technology has changed the Jewish world - for better or worse.

Another topic that frequently arises is the huge gap in generations...particularly this one and the one that preceded it. It is mind boggling to me how some of today's children never saw a phone with a cord, never saw a vinyl record, never had their hat get ruined in the Shabbos rain, never had to call a librarian for information - and never experienced a quiet walk in the woods without a connection to the outside world.

What pains me even more, and what prompted this post, was the new downloadable pdf's that announce all the available Chol HaMoed trips. Hershey Park, Dorney Park, concerts, trips to Florida, Canada, Eretz Yisroel...the list is endless.

Whatever happened to some good old fashioned fun? What is wrong with a father taking his sons to play baseball in the park? What about mothers taking their daughters rowing?. What is wrong with a family picnic in the park, or better yet camping and building a makeshift Sukkah?

I often wonder whether our generation had it better than the current one. I suppose our parents felt the same way. Their parents kashered chickens and lived in tenements without washing machines...their parents lived without television...their parents lived without horseless carriages etc. etc.

What is all boils down to is that everyone loves his own environment the best. People often prefer to live where they spent their childhood. Those who grew up without potato peelers prefer the knife, and those who grew up prior to the i-revolution prefer those old 33's, 45's and even 78's!