"My son is having a BLAST!!! Learning and having FUN!!! That's what summer and life, for that matter should be!"
Hmmm. That got me thinking.
I take note of which words are in capital letters followed by exclamation marks: BLAST and FUN, and which is not in capital letters: learning.
I observe a parent's understanding of what not only a summer vacation but what life should be.
I wonder, did I miss a critical lesson (or two or three) when we were taught what life is about? I simply do not recall learning, reading or hearing that life is about having a BLAST and FUN.
I thought it's about Love and Fear of G-d. About Torah, Avoda, Gemilus Chasadim. About Ahavas Yisrael, Olam Haba, Yemos Ha'Moshiach.
What kind of students and children do we produce when we think that life should be about fun as opposed to Serving G-d?
***
Now I'll take the other side. What the parent meant is that a Jewish life should be full of exuberance and simcha. That is true!
But in the statement, learning and fun are separate. It's not that the learning is geshmak (though perhaps it is). It sounds like they do their learning (get it over with?) and then move on to what they're really interested in: having A BLAST and FUN.
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What kind of students and children do we produce when we think that life should be about fun as opposed to Serving G-d?
ReplyDeleteWait until those kids enter shidduchim. They will be confused having to sort out a fun person from a tachlisdik person. They will judge every possible marriage partner by how much fun that they have with them.
Besides from shidduchim there are other parts of life such as; it is more fun to eat ice cream than peas and carrots although from a nutrition standpoint, the latter is healthier than the former.
Paying taxes and obeying the speed limit are not fun. Dressing tznius is not always fun.
I agree; emphasizing fun can lead someone down the wrong path.
Appropriate fun is good and healthy, but in it's rightful place and time. Learning can be fun too with the right mechanech and with the right attitude.
ReplyDeletesomething else just occured to me.
ReplyDeleteThe parent wrote
"Learning and having FUN!!!"
Maybe what he or she meant to say was "my son is learning and actually having FUN"
Maybe the "fun" was meant to go on the learning. :)
Rosie - By having fun with someone re shidduchim, doesn't that mean enjoying the time spent with them and isn't that a good thing?
ReplyDeleteChabadniker - re your 2nd comment, halevai but it didn't seem like it though it's certainly a positive spin on it
It is a good thing to enjoy being with someone and that is usually a good sign that things are going well but I have seen situations where the person was in it for fun and had no intention of committing to the relationship.
ReplyDelete