Sabbath Manifesto: Slowing Down Live Since 2009

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• Philadelphia Jewish Voice

  March 12th, 2012 by admin

  What a happy coincidence. As author of What Is Shabbat: A Time Manifesto, I’m thrilled to learn that Reboot, “a New York-based nonprofit that reinvents Jewish rituals and traditions for a new generation, has developed an annual tech detox as a modern day Sabbath to encourage young, hyper-connected, and frequently frantic people to take a respite from all things digital.” Reboot is offering an Unplugging Pledge that asks people to take a tech detox for the 2012 National Day of Unplugging. Those who take the pledge on Causes.com can easily share it with friends and family through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. Reboot reports they root their support for the National Day of Unplugging, March 23-24, in theirSabbath Manifesto.

  Read the full post here

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• Shades of Gray

  March 7th, 2012 by admin

  I just deactivated my Facebook account. Not deleted. Deactivated. So it’s all still there…all I have to do is log back in. But I’m still having a mild panic attack. I think this is just reinforcing that I need a break from the site…but good grief. I’m terrified that I’m going to miss something terribly important. And can you blame me? It isn’t that much of a stretch. In fact, I know people who have taken a brief hiatusfrom the world’s most popular social site, only to find out weeks later (when they decide to log in again) that something awful happened, and they were left in the dark. I suppose you could argue that it doesn’t matter if I don’t know about it…or that if I would only have known through Facebook, it must not be anything that important to begin with. Years ago, I would have agreed with you. Now?

  Read Allison’s full post here

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• readingeagle.com

  March 7th, 2012 by admin

  Can you unplug?

  The answer seems obvious, but the reality is probably even more difficult as newer and cooler electronics become part of our lives.

  That’s why I was surprised that Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Young Woman, 17-year-old Maria Jiang of Sinking Spring, doesn’t have a cellphone.

  There are times when a cellphone would be convenient: when she’s running late, she’s lost or a practice changes. Aside from the scholarship program, Maria is involved with lots of clubs at Wilson High School, where she’s a senior. She’s on the tennis team and part of the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra.

  But not having a cell forces Maria to be more organized and have more face-to-face conversations.

  Read the full article here

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• israelnationalnews.com

  February 29th, 2012 by admin

  A project called the Sabbath Manifesto is calling for a “National Day of Unplugging” in the United States from sundown on March 23rd to sundown on March 24th. According to the project’s website, “the Sabbath Manifesto was created by a group of Jewish artists in search of a modern way to observe a weekly day of rest.”

  Read the full post here

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• Green Living Ideas

  February 28th, 2012 by admin

  After starting 2012 with some amazing simple living and de-cluttering challenges we are ready to greet March in the same spirit. More and more people are warming up to the Slow Movement ideas of leading a deliberate balanced life, concentrated on meaning and fulfillment.

  But there are some, who take the principles of slow living principles to the next level.

  The Sabbath Manifesto is a creative project aimed to slow down our lives in an increasingly hectic world. The Manifesto was developed by Reboot, a network of writers, filmmakers, artists and media professionals who work toward a common goal to bring back the moments of peaceful rest in our fast-paced modern life. Reboot initiated a National Day of Unplugging that will be observed from Sundown of March 23rd to sundown of March 24th.

  Read the full article here

  Source: Green Living Ideas (http://s.tt/15RDH)

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• The New Shul Blog

  February 24th, 2012 by admin
  The National Day of Unplugging is a respite from the relentless deluge of technology and information. With roots in Jewish tradition, this modern day of rest was developed by Reboot as a way to bring some balance to our increasingly fast-paced way of life and reclaim time to connect with family, friends, the community and ourselves. Shut down your computer. Turn off your cell phone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together.

  Read the full blog post here
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• Nature for Kids

  February 24th, 2012 by admin

  “Dinner’s ready”…”DINNER’S READY!”….”GET DOWN HERE NOW BEFORE I FEED THE DOG YOUR DINNER!!!”.

  I’ve found myself having to do this more and more each evening because my family is usually consumed in the movie they are watching, the video game they’re playing or the website they’re scouring.

  Now I can’t put it all on them, I have my moments of screen consumption as well. But lately I’ve been bugged by it much more. I’ve become aware of the conversations with no eye contact, the “huhs and whats”, and the frustrating need to repeat things. And this is coming from a household where screen time is monitored and getting outdoors is encouraged greatly.

  All this screen time and its side effects is causing concern to more than just me. Did you know there is now a  National Day of Unplugging to urge everyone to step away from the screen. This year its set for March 23-24. I encourage you to look into it. It might be something you and your family may want to experiment with.

  Read the full article here

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• Interactioninstitute.org

  February 22nd, 2012 by admin

  The issue of personal ecology is one of my biggest concerns in our ever accelerating world.  It is the biggest pain point I find among leaders and organizations.  It is a sense of being overwhelmed, of trying to do too much, of never having a break.  And worst of all – it can be addictive.

  But we can’t work for sustainability in unsustainable ways.  We can’t forget that we are part of earth’s biology, that there are natural rhythms in which we thrive.  Evolution moves in the direction of increasing complexity, but our current response to increasing complexity seems to be acceleration.  We are reaching the limits of acceleration.

  We will not be able to solve the problems we face at the current level of complexity, because this is where we created them.  In order to evolve to a next level of complexity we will need to try something else – something other than trying to go faster.

  Perhaps what we need is a day of rest, a true day of rest, a day to connect to deeper aspects of ourselves, to nature, to others.  The Sabbath Manifesto is an exciting project that seems to be headed in the right direction.

  Read the full blog post here

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• Insteading.com

  February 21st, 2012 by admin

  As Technology Becomes Ever-Present the “Tech Detox” Movement Gains Steam

  How fast and far we’ve come in the advancement of technology! A mere century ago, the U.S. was industrializing rapidly–and creating new technologies to speed assembly, improve communication, increase leisure time, and make work and life all-around more efficient.

  It’s more efficient now. Like, 24/7 efficient.

  Now we stare into screens by day and night. We have SMS conversations under the dinner table on dates. We wake in the middle of the night to harvest fictional Farmville crops. We still somehow fit in 6 hours of television. Portlandia’s technology loop is funny because it’s real.

  If this is not an addiction, can you give it up? Can you disconnect the computer, the phone (it’s smart, after all), the TV, even the GPS? Are your hands, still clutching your iPad and Blackberry, getting clammy just thinking about it? March 23-24 is National Day of Unplugging, and it’s a great opportunity to disconnect from devices and reconnect to your family, your mate, your health and your free time.

  Read the full insteading.com article here

  
  

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• Treehugger

  February 14th, 2012 by admin

  Last year I blogged about, and took part in, the National Day of Unplugging, an appeal from non-profit Reboot to take a technology sabbath to reconnect with oneself and the community. By the end of my personalized sabbath I felt rested and energized without doing much more than making a personal pledge to skip e-mail, social media and my laptop.

  My 24-hours gadget-free looked like this: yoga, nap, read, rinse, wash, repeat. In short, it felt so good I’ll be doing it again (smile) for the 3rd Annual National Day of Unplugging on March 23rd-24th, 2012.

  Read the full article here

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