[Dammit, I just typed a whole megilla's worth of a journal entry, and it got erased when I pressed backspace and my @!)!#*#&$ computer thought I wanted to go back a page.]
Howdy. This is my first journal entry.
I've just rejoined SG after a hiatus of a few months. All these new features (chat, webcams, etc.) are really boggling my mind. Call me a Luddite, but what ever happened to good old-fashioned boobies and message boards?
To tell you a bit about myself: I'm 22, originally from Brooklyn, NY, and at present studying at the U of Toronto, from which I should be graduating next year with a degree in biology and linguistics. I wanna be a teacher, and if that doesn't work out, maybe an astronaut. Seriously, though, I do enjoy helping and seeing others learn and discover the fascinating things about the world around them. I think I'd do a good job. And I'd get to eat in class.
What else can I tell you? I used to be an Orthodox Jew, but have since taken advantage of the right to think freely. A part of me misses the Orthodox lifestyle. There's a measure of comfort in it that you come to appreciate after leaving the fold. A good chunk of your life is essentially dictated by the standards of the community and the laws of the Torah. You know, with a good deal of certainty, what to do each day. Go to the synagogue three times a day, recite the same prayers that you know by heart and could mouth in ten seconds flat while still having room to think about what's for lunch. You know what and where to eat (kosher food, kosher restaurants), who to socialize with (other Orthodox Jews, naturally), what you'll do after high school (go to Israel for a year or two), when you'll get married and start producing the Jews of the future (20-25, max; younger for women). The list goes on, and now, being in a position where none of these restrictions apply, it's a Herculean task to come up with routines and rituals that provide the same amount of comfort and security but still provide for free thought and liberal thinking.
Share your thoughts, I'm all ears.
Howdy. This is my first journal entry.
I've just rejoined SG after a hiatus of a few months. All these new features (chat, webcams, etc.) are really boggling my mind. Call me a Luddite, but what ever happened to good old-fashioned boobies and message boards?
To tell you a bit about myself: I'm 22, originally from Brooklyn, NY, and at present studying at the U of Toronto, from which I should be graduating next year with a degree in biology and linguistics. I wanna be a teacher, and if that doesn't work out, maybe an astronaut. Seriously, though, I do enjoy helping and seeing others learn and discover the fascinating things about the world around them. I think I'd do a good job. And I'd get to eat in class.
What else can I tell you? I used to be an Orthodox Jew, but have since taken advantage of the right to think freely. A part of me misses the Orthodox lifestyle. There's a measure of comfort in it that you come to appreciate after leaving the fold. A good chunk of your life is essentially dictated by the standards of the community and the laws of the Torah. You know, with a good deal of certainty, what to do each day. Go to the synagogue three times a day, recite the same prayers that you know by heart and could mouth in ten seconds flat while still having room to think about what's for lunch. You know what and where to eat (kosher food, kosher restaurants), who to socialize with (other Orthodox Jews, naturally), what you'll do after high school (go to Israel for a year or two), when you'll get married and start producing the Jews of the future (20-25, max; younger for women). The list goes on, and now, being in a position where none of these restrictions apply, it's a Herculean task to come up with routines and rituals that provide the same amount of comfort and security but still provide for free thought and liberal thinking.
Share your thoughts, I'm all ears.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
As for your intro, interesting. I'm sure that SG will in some way add some measure of ritual to your day.
If you haven't already, join SGCanada. Lots of events listed there and a lot of them happen in and around Toronto. We're always happy to have new members around to make fun of...