I have been thinking about our need for rest recently, possibly sparked off for me by an enjoyable and relaxing break in North Norfolk. It was enjoyable and relaxing because not only was I away from my office, phone and e-mails and doing something that I enjoy (sailing) with Tim,but also because it gave me a complete break from my mobile phone and the internet.
For me this was a soul restoring opportunity and certainly something that I needed, that is why articles like this from Lucy Kellaway concern me, she says:
"For most of this summer I'm on "worliday". This is a new word I have just made up to describe something I've been doing for a few years, and now seems in need of a name.
Worliday is a bit like holiday and a bit like work. It's the future for most professional workers - and actually, contrary to what most people would have you believe, worliday is really rather nice."
I am not sure I'd agree with her assesment of "rather nice" not whether she is getting the rest and the break that she needs even if she thinks it is working I'd question whether in the long run it is a good idea for anyone to be so attatched to their smartphones/laptops...
Folk responded in numerous ways, I found these interesting:
"Hugh Dennis phrased it best. When we say: "I'd better check my mail, they can't cope without me" what we mean is: "I'd better check my mail, they CAN cope without me".
Eddie, Edinburgh
I just finished a family vacation in North Carolina's Outer Banks. Each morning, myself and two other dads, would fire up our laptops, drink some coffee, manage work email, and generally keep tabs on what was going on in our respective work places. I even chatted with two clients... They seemed apologetic about "bothering me" when they discovered I was on a family vacation. However, I told them to the contrary, I liked my work greatly and I didn't need a vacation from it. I only needed a vacation with my family (a key distinction).
Matt DeReno, Pittsburgh, US
Those of us who freelance have always done this. Feels normal. What feels odd is the idea that on a break you have to 'engage fully' at all times with your loved ones, and that on a break is the only time it can be done.
Simon Brown, Sheffield, England
Online comms are having a profound impact on society. Most of us find it harder to relax without technology than with. This is a cultural shift that needs to be acknowledged by all.
Carole, London
There is more here...
For myself I side with the folk whose decision is to take a full break, and here is why, I believe that we were created to work from rest, don't get me wrong I am not a creationist, I read Genesis 1 & 2 as myth/ poetry, but as such it reveals a deep truth, and that is that we need rest.
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." (Genesis 1:31-2:2)
I believe that the truth is held in the story (and I mean story) that we were created on the sixth day and that humankind's first full day was a day of rest, a day to enjoy in the presence of God.... though I would argue that that does not necessarily mean in church! But that is a whole other topic! That said I think that accepting createdness and worshipping God who is more than we are frees us from the tyranny of needing to be omnicopmetent- maybe I'll blog on that later...
Back to our need for rest, I wonder what your views are. so I'll leave you with some questions:
- Do you take a full break from work, technology etc?
- If not why not, can you separate work technology from social stuff? How?
- If you don't take a full break do you feel really rested?
- If you do, what difference does it make to you?
Finally I return to my favourite passage of Scripture:
Matthew 11: 28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Borrowing the definition of religion from that great accademic source Wikkepedia here:
"Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and moral values...!
With that in mind, if our work becomes in a sense our religion, what does that say about our need for rest..?
