In the Ten Commandments, we are told that God ordered the Israelites to do no work on the Sabbath (that is, the seventh) Day.<\/em><\/p>\n…it was a notion of the deep utility of rest that was being advocated…We regularly need to stop \u2013 even when something is otherwise valuable to accomplish. And it helps if we are told to stop in a rather authoritative way<\/em><\/p>\nThe concept of a\u00a0digital Sabbath\u00a0is… recognising that we are over-obedient to our machines. We\u2019re too compliant by nature and therefore need to be reminded \u2013 with the utmost authority \u2013 that we must at points take a break.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nThe problem is…the great authorities of the modern world are the voices of corporate interests; they don\u2019t necessarily have our best needs at the front of their minds.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n…we…need to engage directly with others, to be relaxed, immersed in nature and present. We need to let our minds wander off of their own accord. We need to go through the threshold of boredom to renew our acquaintance with ourselves.<\/em><\/p>\nAnd we need to do this on a regular basis, perhaps one day a week. We might designate every Saturday as the occasion when \u2013 for a while \u2013 we mute the tyrannical machine.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n
When I first\u00a0experienced the refreshing quiet of observing a sabbath with Jewish friends, who a full day every week to disconnect from electronics, work, chores…to be with family over meal, celebration, communion and reflection, the real value of the Sabbath became clear. \u00a0Even a short rest from our devices can refresh: the hour we walk in the park, the dinner with friends, a Sunday, an evening…?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/a>Sally Schneider\/Improvised Life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
School of Life\u2019s How to Live More Wisely with Our Phones is a remarkable essay about how we can gently balance our relationship to our smart phones. Here are the most useful and view-shifting hunks.<\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":61595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6549,10545,5418,1399,8364,1860],"tags":[7132,10868,5900,10870,10869,9480,9552],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Live Wisely With Your Phone - Improvised Life<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n