Stripping life back

Nov 21, 2014

Words, words, so many words in 21st century life.  Phone and computer together give access to billions, spoken and written.  So many words can sap our energy and the incessant demand to think can stop us from thinking.  In the first month of my sabbatical, walking, cooking, tidying, gardening and – above all – playing the piano have helped fill my mind with beauty and envelop it with rest.  I have not given up books, though I have avoided the analytical in favour of the narrative and/or contemplative.  In particular I have discovered a new way of connecting habitually with the foundational literature of the Jesus tradition which crosses both these categories.

The second reason for laying aside my phone and computer was more practical.  Just before my sabbatical I suspected I was beginning to experience Repetitive Strain Injury – especially when using a standard mouse, but sometimes when simply typing on a keyboard or holding my phone.  Perhaps this physical manifestation has been a warning to me about the potential psychological damage possible through overuse of technology.  It remains to be seen what happens to this phenomenon post-sabbatical.

Finally, I have sought to unmask my addictions.   It feels so much better to combat stress through life affirming connection to beauty than through addictive escapism.  I have discovered that I do not need to score 5 million at triple town, check email every couple of hours or have a permanent connection from my brain to the weather forecast.  Avoiding filling all blank spaces with “noise” does make it easier to notice the world around me.

I hope to tell the unfolding story of my sabbatical over the coming weeks.  I hope you will forgive me if I slip into writing about the past in the more vivid present, and I hope that some of the blessing I experienced in walking that journey will spill over to you too.