Am I Old Fashioned?

This week my daughter accused me of being old fashioned and I was genuinely flabbergasted! You see, her bunk-mates from camp are keeping in touch via Google hangout and social media, which I do not allow my daughter to use. I strongly believe that a 10-year-old should not use electronic devices, have Snapchat, Instagram or even her own email address. So I told her she is welcome to pick up the phone to call her friends and actually speak to them. I also compromised by allowing her to text with them once a week from my phone for a specified amount of time.

This led to her calling me “old fashioned.” She told me I grew up in a different generation and I have to live with the times. It’s 2016 now!

When I heard that, I was shocked. I’m only 38 and I consider myself extremely young and “with the times.” But my daughter gave me a reality check, and in a way she’s right. When I grew up in the 80’s, we didn’t have cell phones or internet, let alone Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Maybe I do come from a different generation.

I wonder what my children’s children will say about their parents. What kind of advances will the world have made by then?

It’s true, times are changing. Each year we make tremendous advances in science, medicine, and of course, technology. Just think about all the exciting things that have happened in 2016 so far:  Juno successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit, a British couple managed to clone their dead dog, and the world’s first baby with three biological parents was born. And that’s barely the tip of the iceberg.

We are about to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, when we go back in time and relive the creation of the first human. Times may be changing, but as Jews our Torah, our tradition, and our G-d does not. It does not matter if we are living in the 1500’s or the 1800’s or 1980's or 2016 or anytime in the future. It’s the same Torah, the same G-d and the same Rosh Hashanah. 

Rosh Hashanah is one thing that has never changed throughout the generations. No matter where a person may find himself, no matter what modern times may bring, we still sing the same tunes, pray the same prayers, and talk to the same G-d.

Rosh Hashanah is a time to come back home and do things the old fashioned way. So this year, as you prepare to celebrate the holiday, ask yourself, “Am I old fashioned?”

I know I am, and I’m proud of it!