Some of the most valuable learning experiences I had as a child were from “gadgets” that were given to me, or I found, which didn’t seem to otherwise have any value.
Some that I had and remember well:
1) a stopwatch — timed everything compulsively for several weeks.
2) An anemometer (for measuring wind speed and direction and predicting the weather).
3. An 8mm movie camera – at age 13, my friend and I made a stop-action animated film. He is now a big cinematographer in Hollywood, and thanks me because he has never had “to work a day in his life.”
4. A 35mm camera – boy, did I learn a lot about light, physics and people with this one.
5. A printing press – we had nice ones at school – I loved the beauty of the rhythmic movements of their mechanisms. The love for these big machines led me into the world of computers, where I found my life’s work.
6. A dog – not strictly speaking a gadget, but she taught me many lessons in kindness, compassion, generosity, enthusiasm and menschlikeit (huntlicheit?), and altered my life from one of bitterness and anger, to one with more kindness and joy.
So, who’s to say that the gadgets of today are merely time wasters? I think you need to examine each one with an open mind, and remember that Hashem sometimes works in strange ways, and how do discover your passions unless you try many things?
bests,
-rsr-