A kid dreams of what life could hold, in a world full of possibility, and what’s that kid say? Well, a kid of the male gender might speculate, “When I’m a big boy, I’ll…” And that way of imagining and fantasizing possibility is what the group who have dubbed themselves the Big Boys seem to have even now, all grown up. These are men who are still considering a world full of possibility; they still dream of what life can hold.
Big Boys Camp, an annual retreat, is held on a small island of Penobscot Bay every August. The 20-something invited men, with an average age in their 50s, come from some variety of backgrounds. What seems central is an originality of thinking and a measure of influence and success. In other words, they are creative, they think outside the box, and their credentials and accomplishments have gained recognition, remuneration and impact. They are largely a group of engineers, computer whizzes and entrepreneurs. Many of them have degrees from MIT, Stanford, and the Ivies. Old money and blue-blood lineage are not necessary in this picture; rather, the American dream of hard work and good timing leading to achievement seems borne out here, as realized and realistic.
These men gather in rustic surrounds. There is one cabin, containing a fireplace and minimal kitchen. Accompanying it are a cold-water shower, an outhouse and a tarped deck barely big enough for a big-enough table. There is no electricity except what a solar-powered generator provides. Most participants sleep in tents, dotted along the shore. The point seems to be immersion in this ambience. They dispense with a lot of other-world distractions. A copy of each day’s New York Times finds its way there, but perhaps is most coveted for its crossword puzzle, a communal undertaking. And cell phones and BlackBerries — when charged — are put to some use. But officially, the campers are “away.”
What’s the point of this low-key gathering of highly placed, high energy, highly motivated men? To relax? It seems it is to share time, space and projects. High tech projects? Creating visionary, futuristic solutions for the world’s ills? Postulating policy proposals? Well, not exactly. This seems to be a chance to go from large scale to small scale. To remember what it might have been for them as kids, where the seeds of their success lay: figuring out strategies by playing, experimenting, tinkering. That is what the Big Boys do at camp. They identify “projects.” They work in teams to generate remedies, applications. They work in ways that favor individual strengths. Past projects include creating an efficient and sanitary dishwashing system. A rainwater cistern. A haul out for boats that doesn’t collect seaweed. A beach minus big boulders.
The activity that draws them together in an undertaking for the sake of competition is their annual rowing contest. They race against other equally heterogeneous and serious-but-recreational teams. This is the one project where winning rivets them as their raison; they’d be happy to trounce the opposition. Getting in shape for the race adds some sense of discipline to their routine; their daily practices are rigorous workouts. While strength and stamina might be virtues the Big Boys respect in their “other” lives, here it eventually comes down to muscle, which is increasingly valued as a personal asset as the regatta nears.
Many successful professionals vacation on the coast of Maine. Why profile this group? Why privilege the Big Boys as deserving of a specific appreciation, an homage? Well, they do a lot of things well. They offer generous financial support to the communities they neighbor, funding cultural activities and athletic programs. They spend time interacting with those communities, valuing their connections with locals — the people who make the locale what it is. The “place” matters; their time here is site-specific. And just maybe, understanding what they do adds to the realm of possibility for the rest of us: that it is valuable to find the time and space, shared with kindred spirits, for reconnecting with youthful energies and creative problem solving on a small scale, hands-on level. The Big Boys put a priority — for one week a year — on the idea that playfulness and conviviality count for something. An outcome of their enclave, benefiting all of us, could be launched from that island experience alone.