by Emily Bisson
Sometimes I wonder what the world would be like if everyone on Earth lived in a cabin with eight other individuals, in a community known as a unit that laughed and sang and cheered together.
What would the world be like if we all worked together to do community details as we do our unit-details. And what if everyone had cabin time each morning and free swim each afternoon. If everyone had an hour reserved every day to rest and relax and write letters to friends.
What would our days be like if everyone in the world woke up at 7:15 A.M. and had their lights out by 10 P.M. If everyone received three meals and one snack each day.
What if every child had a harness, a rope and a belay team strapped to them before going out into the world, if everyone had the opportunity to feel the power and experience the freedom of the wind in sailing class, and if we all got.to view life through the lens of a camera and stop time in photography.
What would the world be like if everyone had the chance to sit around a campfire each week and sing and cheer and think, and if everyone joined together for a community dance.
What if everyone had the opportunity to test their mind, their body, and their spirit on a three·day hiking trip and learned some of the secrets of nature at the same time.
What if hugs were unconditional and mean, hurtful words did not exist. What would the world be like if everyone lived under the principles of honesty, caring, responsibility, and respect.
What if everyone had e opportunity to go to camp?
Emily Bisson, a returning staff member at Camp Chingachgook on Lake George, wrote this poem to share at her camp’s closing campfire.