"Stuff" and Experiences

(kind of long...I am sorry!)

From iPods to Nike Shox, a new car to that new outfit; we long for cool new “stuff.” Something about stuff calls out to us and we just have to have it, right? Some of you are going off to college and that Mac iBook is calling out to you. For others, that new spring line at your fav store is just screaming your name. While we think we need the things we covet, we know we don’t really—we just want them badly.

You have probably heard this before, though, right? Oftentimes, people will speak out against the endless acquisition of stuff. Whether pastors or rabbis, parents, teachers, or maybe the guy on the street, they remind us of what we already know. We already have enough stuff. We could do something better with our money. We should send our money to those who need it. While hard to hear, they do they have a point. We know that endlessly pursuing more and more stuff will leave us less and less happy with what we do have. I think we all understand this concept, even if we forget it occasionally. I would like to challenge us with something a little different.

Think about any experience you hope to have in your life…I want to see the Great Wall, I want to skydive, I want to climb Mount Everest. Now, how much of your “To Do” list in life is self-centered and just about you? For me, the percentage is alarmingly high. Of course, having a family, taking care of my parents, and serving Africans are on my list—but they are the minority. Most of the things I hope to experience in life revolve around myself. Isn’t that silly? Just like my new kicks or car stereo, I cannot take experiences with me when I leave. Who knows, maybe I get my “memories” in Heaven or the next life, but even if I do, what good are they if they only benefit myself?

What am I saying? Simply, this: our desire to accumulate experiences is every bit as dangerous and selfish as our desire to accumulate stuff. Unless…

Unless we do one of a few things, our desire to check off things on our “To Do” list is all for naught. The first is to incorporate others into our experiences. Take mom with you to visit the Eiffel Tower, run that marathon with your best friend, invite a sibling on that two-week summer roadtrip. The second is to incorporate more selfless items into your list, or add them to those more “selfish items.” So, instead of just traveling through Brazil and Chile sightseeing, work on a service project for part of your trip. For anyone who has been on a mission trip or service trip of any kind, think about the difference between going home from that, versus going home from a weeklong trip to the beach. When you get back from service trips, you are not only refreshed, you are on a high; when you get back from a “relaxing” vacation, you are refreshed, but also (somehow) a little drained. Third, and lastly, you can share your experiences and teach others about the world you have seen. So, if you have seen sweatshops or poor villages, educate your peers about the world. Don’t let your trip be wasted because you don’t share what you have learned or experienced to better educate those around you.

This is where I see Tahoe come in…

You had an incredible experience at camp, no doubt, but what are you doing with it? Have you kept it—the lessons, the memories, the songs, the games, the love—inside, or have you shared it tirelessly? Have you helped your peers come alive like you came alive at camp? Have you left that legacy with the freshman and sophomores that will inspire them to go to camp? Have you shared your experience with people from around the country that you know (cousins, friends from other camps, etc) and encouraged them to attend? These are all ways that you can not only solidify the experience for yourself, but also express gratitude to everyone who made it possible (parents, advisors, JCs, ACs, etc.).

Thanks for indulging me in this, this has been on my heart recently and I felt compelled to share. Don’t feel condemned or bummed about any of this; rather, be encouraged that you can still do all of these things, you can readjust, you can redo. You have so much time and so many experiences ahead of you. :-)

Ryan