day+of+national+unplugging+(roni+sue)

 Overview
I've often admired Orthodox Jews for planning their communities to be walkable so that on the Sabbath, their synagogues and neighbors are accessible by foot. Now, I have further reason to think they're smart.

Sundown on March 4 will mark the commencement of "The Second Annual Day of National Unplugging", as stated by reboot, "a growing network of thought-leaders and tastemakers who work towards a common goal: to 'reboot' the culture, rituals, and traditions we've inherited and make them vital and resonant in our own lives." Modeled after the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest, the day of national unplugging is meant to act as an opportunity for people to "recharge" themselves without technology and get back in touch with humans. For all the doubters who think this is too difficult, the iPhone application can show you how easy it is. Ironic, yes?

The Sabbath Manifesto, it's named, can be downloaded without charge to Android and Blackberry phones worldwide to help with the daunting task of shutting of technology for an entire day. The application is meant to guide people through every Sabbath day, but comes in handy on this particular Sabbath. It includes ten principles to be interpreted differently by all followers: avoid technology, connect with loved ones, nurture your health, get outside, avoid commerce, light candles, drink wine, eat bread, find silence, and give back. The ten principles were written in the simplest terms, designed to apply to secular and non-secular people alike and to be open for interpretation.

I bet you're all thinking that it would be too hard to go a day without your phone. But don't worry! The Sabbath Manifesto created these sleeping bags to shelter cell phones from the sight of those unable to resist the temptation of such trinkets and need help being delivered from evil.

It's more serious than that, though. In January, The Wall Street Journal published an article stressing the importance of "tech detoxes". A clinical trial showed that when families used to using individual laptops all day were deprived of such resources, their conversations with each other at the dinner table were "awkward" and "uncomfortable". Is our dependence technology usurping our ability to communicate with each other in person? The Day of National Unplugging is meant to remind us that we are able to communicate with ourselves and with each other without the distractions that technology provide. Multi-tasking only detracts from real experience and complicates our lives more so than necessary.

I believe that the ten principles are things that anyone should be mindful of, Jewish or not, and on any and every day of the week. I'm not advocating for the terminus of technology or the end of text messaging. I believe that like everything, technology use should be moderated and that nothing will ever be as real as true experience. I will not deny the many benefits that we have reaped from technological advances and the advantages we have because of them, but it is important to step back and realize that we //can// survive without our phones for a few hours, even if it's only a few.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/fashion/18sabbath.html?_r=1&ref=style http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org/sleeping_bags http://rebooters.net/ http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/an-app-that-reminds-you-to-unplug/ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703779704576073801833991620.html

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