And we're back.
Like many of you, I have a SmartPhone welded to my hand. The folks at an organization called Reboot have developed a group digital detox. It is from sundown to sundown on Shabbat, one week from this Friday. They are not advocating becoming Orthodox or Amish. Just setting devices aside for a day. Keep the car, the stove, the TV (if you must) even your land line phone! Just disengage from the internet (and re-engage with the world around you, family and friends)!
The text below is from their site. What do you think? - Ira
Do you have multiple cell phones? Take your ipad to the beach on
vacation? Ever find it hard to get through a conversation without
posting an update to Facebook? Is your computer always on?
We increasingly miss out on the important moments of our lives as we
pass the hours with our noses buried in our iPhones and BlackBerry’s,
chronicling our every move through Facebook and Twitter and shielding
ourselves from the outside world with the bubble of “silence” that our
earphones create.
If you recognize that in yourself – or your friends, families or colleagues— join us for the National Day of Unplugging, sign the Unplug pledge
and start living a different life: connect with the people in your
street, neighborhood and city, have an uninterrupted meal or read a book
to your child.
The National Day of Unplugging is a 24 hour period – running from
sunset to sunset – and starts on the first Friday in March. The project
is an outgrowth of The Sabbath Manifesto (see the ten principles at left),
an adaption of our ancestors’ ritual of carving out one day per week to
unwind, unplug, relax, reflect, get outdoors, and connect with loved
ones.