The Secular Sabbath

I've shared this idea with a few people: I'd like Hubbub to lead a national campaign to get people to disconnect from the Web at least one day a week. As many of you know, I am a serious Internet junkie, so I am looking at this as both an altruistic endevaor and a personal neccessity. But, in the next couple of weeks, I'd like to get a show of hands from folks who can help promote the concept, and build an awareness campaign. For now, I am going to begin the effort by taking myself offline on the Sabbath -- I will not be reachable between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday, every week.

That's right, I'm pulling a Lieberman on everyone. Fortunately, I am not running for public office.

Comments

[Tom Foremski]

Online and unreachable are two different things... Do you mean incommunicado?

[Giovanni Rodriguez]

For me, it will mean being incommunicado. But just going offline would be very healthy.

[Julia French]

Giovanni -

I support this 100%, it is a must do in order to make sure you can offer worthy insights and value to the"Valley Ecosystem". Every great person who created great thins took time for reflection and to let things "sink in" taking time to do this is a must in order to be successfull. Thank you for coming out and making a point around this.

[Joseph Thornley]

Hi Giovanni,
I'm sitting in the airport (wired up) after having spent 36 hours offline while visiting my mother. She's 82 and doesn't have an Internet connection.

I read. I thought. I just chatted. And I didn't look at an LCD during the entire visit. Wow. What a great feeling.

A day a week is probably a good forced respite for those of us who spend too much time online. Just looking around at the world can provide fresh stimulus and grounding for all the ideas and snippets of info that flow by all too rapidly in the blogosphere.

So, count me in. I'm going to try this the next few Saturdays too.

[Mukund Mohan]

Hmm
Cant see myself doing it because I am not really connected now all the time. I like my news, feeds, etc.
Sorry G

[Howard Greenstein]

As a fellow Entreprenur, I appreciate the pressure of feeling like you need connection at all time, and also the desire to get away from it and share with family.

I wonder if there is a balance between stepping away from work one day a week and stepping away from entertainment-communication-friend contact, which are 2 different things.

[Juan de León]

Giovanni,
I can certainly get behind this. I was away this weekend without a laptop and my only sources for news were those wonderful broadsheets left at my hotel room door -- The Washington Post and the New York Times. As my wife and I traded newspaper sections over coffee I realized how our impatient need for constant updating and poly-sources prevents us from appreciating a well-written story or engaging in dialogue with another warm body.