[Seasons: Summer IV]
The epitome of the summer experience as a child is camp. Summer camp is the best version of every aspect of life consolidated in one location, condensed into one week.
Good food: all three meals prepared for you, huge portions, and very little cleanup.
Games: plenty of organized sports, creative group games, and team challenges (with just the right amount of competition).
Free time: afternoons to explore and socialize (without chores or homework).
Community: dozens, if not hundreds, of like-minded peers in an environment mostly free of unwanted social pressures and unhealthy school dynamics.
Attention: all the attention a child can dream of, from adults and peers.
Every camp has “lights out” time. Campers don’t have the self-discipline to put themselves to bed, and without rest, they would be a wreck by day two. Even in utopia, boundaries and rules are necessary. Not because there’s anything inherently wrong, deficient, or evil about the utopian camp experience, but because our summer inclinations need support.
Summer (camp) reminds us that even in a perfect world we still need community. Independence and isolationistic tendencies are not a sign of strength but a lack of understanding the difference between codependence and interdependence. The former is unhealthy; the latter is communal, and it’s a sign of maturity.
