Foreword
Americans love to hear who’s in trouble and why.
I can tell you this without hesitation because as a morning radio personality for over two decades, I know what news stories my listeners respond to.
By our nature we are drawn to naughtiness. TV shows like “Extra”, “Inside Edition”, “Access Hollywood” and others demonstrate this nightly by their popularity. Paris, O.J., Lindsay, and Britney - we wonder what have they done this week - and how come they keep getting away with it?
We are a nation which has descended from a long tradition of misbehavior. From the moment our forefathers dressed up like Mohawk Indians and tossed tea into Boston Harbor the mold was set: we flip-off authority and do it often.
We frequently focus on the misbehavior of celebrities because their lives are glamorous and they are easy targets for the media. But, our affection for bad conduct transcends the stars. We are a gossip culture and the best hushed whispers usually involve affairs, foibles, faux pauxs, and felonies - whether about a celebrity, neighbor, or acquaintance.
After hearing of the misbehavior, we love to offer forgiveness and then cheer at personal redemption. “Lessons from Camp: Wisdom in the Past Tents” is a book which embodies all of these characteristics.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am proud to say I was misbehaving before mischief was cool.
Yes, I cut my teeth early on misconduct and I readily admit: I’m a recovered thief, drunk, and backseat mooner (among other things) and it all began when I was barely 14 years-old at - of all places - at a Boy Scout camp.
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
And to obey the Scout Law;
To steal road signs at all times;
To get myself inebriated on cheap wine,
Generally behave badly, and masquerade as being morally straight.
Not exactly the way the Boy Scout oath is supposed to read, right?
When the idea for this book came to me, I suspected if I told some of my amusing stories of bad behavior which had been quietly fermenting in me for many years, each would reveal its own axiom. It is as if these stories needed a certain measure of time to germinate before they could be harvested and appreciated. Considering today’s fixation on the latest pop-culture screw-ups, I’d say I was just slightly ahead of my time.
“Lessons from Camp: Wisdom in the Past Tents” is a compilation of true stories from the days I spent at Camp Aheka in Towaco, New Jersey. But, it is not a book about scouting or even camping. It is about the Ying and Yang of behavior and misbehavior and how both have a place in teaching us about living. My stories act as springboards to reveal truisms about life. Each one distills down into a moment of understanding for the reader. This is a humorous book capable of making good out of bad - and does so guilt-free.
There’s amusing irony in a book where the author will be decried by some as anything but a role model yet, at the same time, hailed by others as something of a wise sage. If you can accept that life is all about balance - the Yin and Yang so often spoken of in Chinese philosophy - then it is an easy leap to also recognize that a certain amount of bad behavior is essential in building recognizing good character.
You’ve heard of “Chicken Soup for the Soul”?
This is “Vegetable Broth for the Brain”.