The need for Sabbath and an electronic detox

I am seeing more and more signs in the pop culture that indicate that people are feeling a need to electronically detox. First, was the wave of people I met who gave up facebook for Lent and an article on the same subject in the local newspaper. (see related post, Is it time to give up the farm?)  Next was an article I read called, Nation’s Jews Abandon Facebook and Twitter, One Day Per Week, Starting…Now.  That article stays rather true to the title.  In short, a jewish think tank by the name of “Reboot” has issued a “Sabbath Manifesto”.  The manifesto has ten guiding principles:
 

1. Avoid Technology
2. Connect with loved ones.
3. Nurture your health.
4. Get outside.
5. Avoid commerce
6. Light candles
7. Drink wine.
8. Eat bread.
9. Find silence.
10. Give back.

 
The emphasis in the article is on Jews going unplugged  from sundown Friday, until sundown Saturday.   Reboot sponsored an “Unplugged Shabbat Day” in hopes that it would also draw people into awareness of the other Sabbath manifesto principles as well.
 
Now today I received in my email box an advertisement from Books-a-Million pushing a sale on books because April 19th to 25th is “National turnoff TV week, April 19th-25th.”  The ad sites a statistic that children watch nearly three hours of television every day and that children spend more time each year in front of the television than they do in school.
 
I don’t  know about the veracity of the statistics, but I think the rash of media attention around becoming unplugged is saying something about how utterly nonsensically addicted we have become to electronic stimulus in our lives regardless of whether it be television, computers, or texting.
 
I am toying with taking on being e-free on Sundays.  As in TOTALLY e-free:  No television, no email, no Facebook, no internet surfing, not even my cell phone.  It’s not as if the world is going to fall apart while I am unplugged.  If it does, then I suspect getting a facebook message that someone wants me to fill out a survey on “what flavor ice cream would you be if you were an ice cream?” will be the least of my worries.  There was a rather cohesive world of genuine relationships and time spent conversing face to face with people before any of this technology erupted onto the scene of humanity.  I am beginning to suspect if we strip back a few layers of it on a regular basis that not only would it not be damaging, but perhaps ever extremely beneficial.
 
I am also realizing after my recent spring break and a subsequent trip with colleagues to New York that I need to reestablish a more concrete Sabbath practice.  How do you keep a Sabbath right now?  If you were to write a sabbath manifesto what would it look like?  Do you have a Sabbath?  If so, how do you keep it holy?  How do you rest?  These questions are particularly occupying my mind at the moment because I have been reading through the book of Ezekiel.  In Ezekiel, it is clear that God considers the Sabbath a  non-negotiable aspect of life.  Consequently, Ezekiel is making me particularly mindful of a lack of Sabbath observance.
 
I will update folks on how my return to Sabbath goes in the near future.  In the mean time, I would love to hear if or how you keep a Sabbath.
 
p.s. Never miss a post of The Practical Disciple or never have to surf to see if there is something new, Subscribe to The Practical Disciple by Email
Or

 Subscribe in a reader