That is the unofficial term for 2000-2009. The decade that is passing us by in another time-zone every hour today is called the aughts. That’s how they rolled in 1900-1909. It worked for them, it works for me too.
The aughts are a special decade for me.
In 1999 I was a high-school senior. In 2009 I am a husband, father (times two), Rabbi, law student, blogger and perhaps most surprising of all, an adult.
For me, the aughts were the formative years of my passage from teenage years to adulthood. In many ways it seems to me that America also had to grow up in the aughts. We had 2 huge economic meltdowns, teaching us reckless Americans to stop acting like teenagers and become responsible adults.
Reflecting on the last decade is difficult because so many things have happened. History spins its wheel faster than ever before.
Technology has changed and changed us all. In 1999 I got my first cell-phone. I left it my dorm room closet and used it in lieu of the payphone to make a couple calls per week. In 2009 I carry my iPhone with me so that I am always connected to the power of the internet and I am available at almost all times, via voice, text or email. Speaking of email, I did not even have an email address in 1999, that would not happen for me until 2002. One constant has been the telephone. In 1999 I tried to speak with my parents at least one a week. In 2009 I make that same effort.
The aughts were not just about technology. The aughts were also about family. In 1999 I was the eldest of seven in my parents’ home. In 2009 more than half of us Finks are married and somehow we have become the parents, and our parents the grandparents. In 1999 I had 2 living grandfathers to learn from, to emulate and to be their pride. In 2009 I have none. What a difference a decade makes. One constant has been the strength of my 2 grandmothers, who both work full time and enjoy spending their “free” time with their numerous grandchildren and great-children. I guess, the more things change, the more they stay the same too.
The aughts were also a time of learning. In 1999 I was a student. In 2009 I am a teacher. In 1999 I had not heard of Venice CA, or the Shul on the Beach. In 2009 I am the Rabbi in Venice CA at the Shul on the Beach. In 1999 I was studying mostly Talmud. In 2009 I have studied more areas of Torah I ever could have dreamed, I have studied for and been granted Rabbinic Ordination, I have broadened my Jewish learning horizons. In 1999 I had not heard of Malcolm Gladwell. In 2009, not a day goes by without something triggering a thought about something he has written. In 1999 I looked up information in the “World Book Encyclopedia“. In 2009 I check Wikipedia several times daily. One constant has been my mentor and teacher, Rabbi Moshe Brown. In 1999 he was the first person I turned to for advice. In 2009 he is still on my speed-dial.
The aughts have shown me the world. In 1999 I had seen only parts of our beautiful country and was yet to leave the continent on my own (I lived abroad with my parents before I could even walk). In 2009, I have now been to Israel 5 times, spent time in Zurich and driven cross-country, twice. In 1999 I had driven a few hundred miles. In 2009 I have driven thousands. In 1999, if I traveled, I wished I had a co-pilot; someone with whom to share the experience. In 2009 my travels are with my co-pilot for all of life’s journeys and most-times accompanied by our 2 back seat drivers. In 1999 I lived in the New York metropolitan area. In 2009 I live in Los Angeles and spend weekends on the beach. In 1999 gas prices were around $1 / gallon. In 2009 we celebrate when you find gas for under 3$ / gallon. One constant has been that seeing our beautiful world is extraordinary, but the ordinary comfort of home always beckons us.
I could probably go on. But I think the message the aughts have taught me is becoming clear.
Things change. Life goes on. Moods are different. Styles adapt. People come and go. We pass through place after place. Our interests sway in the wind.
Yet, there are constants. The constants keep us grounded. The constants keep us home. Sometimes, the constants keep us sane or even “the same”. There is comfort in the constants. In a world that seemingly changes daily, the constants that endured my aughts shed important light on what is important in my life.
Reflecting on a decade is impossible. Reflecting on one’s life is necessary. Of course, in 800 words one cannot encapsulate a decade, nor a life. But the exercise of reflection is powerful. And although, what is written here is but a small slice of the aughts that I lived, my “Thoughts on the Aughts” feels like the perfect way to close 2009 and the first decade of my adult life.
“Here’s to many more…”
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