It’s summer and a lot of American families are camping.  This is a Western cultural phenomenon.  People from developing nations don’t go camping.  It’s not quaint or fun.  It’s how the majority of the world lives – without electricity or running water.   In India where I’m from,  you certainly don’t spend your vacation living in a tent like the beggars down the street.  What would it be like explaining the virtues of camping to my 90 year old Indian grandmother?

Let’s say there is a new outdoor activity called “streeting” and you had to explain it to your grandmother.    Your conversation may go something like this:

Grandma: Where are you going on your vacation?

You:  We’re streeting, Grandma.

Grandma:  What is that?

You:  You go live in a cardboard box on the streets of a city for a few days.

Grandma:  [stunned silence as she digests this] Why?

You:  To get in touch with a simpler way of living.  Our life is so comfortable that going streeting gets us in touch with each other without the distractions of modern life.