"The Power of Presence," Stepping Away from the Screen
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
The suggestion for this topic came from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. I appreciate the interest and am delighted to respond. Anyone else who has a topic they would like me to address is welcome to send me a message.
I had a very good friend who was a religious, by which I mean observant, Catholic. He never missed Sunday Mass and, whenever possible, attended services throughout the week. But, on Saturdays he came over to my side of the street, so to speak. Saturdays were his "Sabbath from Electronics." Anything that would glow, hum, beep, or ring, that had a keyboard, was turned off.
Of course, I had to ask, "Why Saturday and not Sunday?" With a smile he gave the classic answer, "Just covering all my bases!" So, I never actually received an explanation.
What I did receive was confirmation (no pun intended.) I too had designated Saturday as my turn-everything-off day and the impact was almost instantaneous. For both of us (thus the confirmation) the first Saturday we both had "withdrawal" symptoms. What were we missing? Was there a new "existential threat" facing humanity (neither of us believing in climate change we had put our faith in a planet that has survived billions of years. And before the haters begin:)
Turned out, not only the world writ large, but also our particular worlds, could survive for 24 hours without us, just fine, thank you very much.
And what had we gained? Calm. Remember Seinfeld? "Serenity Now!"
With the calm came time for much needed reflection. In my case, it also made my eyes feel, and look, less red. And Saturday night sleep was the best sleep of the week!
So, step away from the screen. But, if you can't because of the nature of your work, change your phone from ringing and popping to vibrating. It is less nerve racking. And I promise you the world will not miss you and, after a day or two, you will not miss the world.
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