A National Day of Unplugging – Yes, it’s a real thing.
You’ve heard me rank on digital device dependency before. But I promise this post isn’t a rant. It’s about a challenge most of us might really enjoy trying.
Give yourself a break this week, take the pledge, and join the National Day of Unplugging.
Why Not a National Day of Unplugging?
We increasingly miss out on the important moments of our lives as we pass the hours with our noses buried in our devices.”
– from the homepage, nationaldayofunplugging.com
What exactly is it?
I love this, they call it a 24-hour global respite from technology. So, what’s a respite? That’s one of those words that I sort of knew… but wanted to look up to be sure.
And I’m glad I did. Calling on my friends at Dictionary.com, I’m going on record to say they picked the perfect word—
respite [res-pit]
noun
- a delay or cessation for a time, especially of anything distressing (yep) or trying (yep); an interval of relief (yep): to toil without respite.
That’s it. Don’t you agree it’s perfect?
Take the pledge my friend, and join in on the National Day of Unplugging, sundown to sundown this Friday, March 6th – 7th (Sorry, did that sound like an old school voiceover?)
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
— Anne Lamott, author
Okay, so don’t we already have enough days for this and days for that? Who pays attention to this kind of thing anyway?
You should check out the website. They even have a cool downloadable kit to help you pull the plug. The site does a nice job at helping you defeat all your “I cant’s” so you can actually do this.
Who’s behind it? An arts and culture non-profit called Reboot (also on the website).
Who’s it for?
Here are a few questions to see if it’s a fit…
- Does your phone go anywhere you go?
- Have you used your phone while in a toilet?
- Is your phone your favorite sleeping partner?
- Have you ever fallen asleep while using a digital device?
- Do you use an app to help you use other apps?
If you answered yes to any of these questions you should consider unplugging for the challenge. Two yes answers and you absolutely better join in. Three or more affirmative response? Well, I know a guy who specializes in certain kinds of problems…
Tell me again why do we need a day for unplugging?
Being connected to everything has disconnected us from ourselves and the preciousness of this present moment.”
― L.M. Browning, author Vagabonds and Sundries
- To start with, how about connecting with others? With ourselves?
- How many times have you seen a couple together out in public, each with their nose stuck to their phone? They’re not together.
- Heck, we see it with whole groups of people… together, but not.
- I’ll bet our fixation with our devices has made it a field day for any reasonably skilled pickpocket. Who notices anything going on around them these days?
- We’re missing out on living.
It’s really easy, just… Disconnect. Unplug. Recharge.
But Jeff, I can’t… something might happen!
Okay, something might. So what? If you think about it, something WILL HAPPEN. What if it’s something good? Or refreshing? Or amazing?
Be brave. We’re not talking about a red pill/blue pill moment here. It’s only twenty-four hours, then we all get to come back to our device-driven dream world at sundown.
C’mon, you know you want to give it a shot.
I’ll see you offline…
Be untucked.
What will you do when you unplug?
Click here to join my private email list! You’ll get reminders when I post and occasional cool stuff about living untucked. No SPAM… that’s not untucked!
You might enjoy this post too, it’s about what matters most in life.
Copyright © 2020 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
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