Balancing Acts and Roads

I think that a lot of what Mrs. Krause said about Modern Orthodoxy was true, especially her critiques, but I don't think she fully expressed what Modern Orthodoxy is really all about and why we choose it over the Chareidi style of life. While Modern Orthodox Jews strive to attain a balance between the secular and religious worlds, that's not really how I think about it. I don't think that every second of our lives should be spent doing "religious" things - I really believe that there is value in doing something for pleasure or just to relax (as long as it doesn't affect you negatively, obviously). That's why I don't think it's problematic to say that we watch TV shows and movies or listen to secular music, because as long as your ultimate goal is to become closer to Hashem and to be a better person and everything you do leads you to that goal, then you're doing the right thing. Sometimes, just sitting down at the computer or watching a movie does make you a better person because having that "time off" lets you re-energize and put more vigor into the rest of your life. Just like Mrs. Krause said, we're all on a road and trying to achieve the same thing- to get closer to Hashem and be better people. The way we differ, though, I think is different than being on a slippery or clear road. It's that chareidim take a more express way and we, ideally at least, prefer a more scenic route.