There is an interesting piece in the Times today (http://nyti.ms/h8mNVf) regarding personal decoupling from the digital world. Its pretty well understood that too much of any one thing can be bad for you or your relationships, etc., and the immersive and all-consuming influence of technology in our lives is no different.
Not to sound religious, but this detachment from every day behavior points to the same impetus behind the Jewish Sabbath in the Old Testament. The notion of the sabbath was to change our rhythms which in turn would cause us to become more aware of ourselves, our relationships with each other and God and our surroundings.
The practical implications in our current society is that detaching from technology on a periodic and consistent basis allows us to focus on other tangible elements of our lives — family, friends, those less fortunate than us — as well as intangible components such as our purpose in life and faith in higher powers, etc.
Lots of folks I know are beginning to implement either a formal sabbath (e.g. no work at all on Saturday or Sunday or mini-sabbaths (like the detachment from technology around certain activities).
I am trying hard not to do any work related tasks on Sunday’s. No email, phone calls, etc. from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday. Will I suffer for it? I don’t think so. Will I and my family benefit from it? Absolutely.
Take a moment and evaluate whether a formal or mini technology sabbath is in order.
