New Year’s resolution time is here, and I am going to play it safe and resolve to do something that I know can be done. I am going to make all my Sundays in 2019 Internet-free.
I know it can be done because I did it and survived. This was my resolution in 2017 and 2018. It was not easy, but during these years, I managed to stay off the Internet on Sundays completely. I am happy to say that I have now come to treasure my Internet-free Sundays. The resolution is no longer a hardship. I am only too willing to renew this pledge.
Dealing With the Frustration of Being Connected
I chose this resolution because, like most people, I was frustrated by how the Internet tends to waste countless hours of life. Whether it be e-mails, web sites or social media, there is always the obsession to spend an extra nanosecond to deal with the latest notification that quickly stretches into an hour.
I know that it is impossible to get off the Internet completely because so much depends upon these connections both socially and professionally.
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However, it is possible to curtail one’s exposure. Hence, my resolution to spend my Sundays Internet-free. I saw that I really do not need to be connected on Sunday. The world will survive quite well without me online. And so I cut myself off completely. That means neither a peek at a screen, nor a jot or title of text. The break must be total.
For this resolution to be effective, I will outline the reasons why I keep doing it. When the passion of my pledge passes, those reasons were handy to steady me in my resolve.
The Lord’s Day and a Day of Rest
And so, the first reason to spend Sunday Internet-free is because it is the Lord’s day. The day is not mine; it is His. It is only right that on this day dedicated to God we spend time thinking, praying, praising and giving glory to God. In the frenetic intemperance of our days, people do not stop to address God. They do not listen for God’s words. He is to be found in the silence of our hearts. An Internet-free Sunday is a good beginning to increase in the love of God.
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The second reason to spend Sunday Internet-free is because it is traditionally a day of rest. It is proper that we step outside the frantic rhythm of our daily rat race and take time to reflect, rest and regenerate ourselves for the week ahead. The body is not a machine that can constantly be in motion. It needs time to stop and disconnect. One excellent way to disconnect is to literally disconnect by observing an Internet-free Sunday.
A Time to Socialize and Enjoy Leisure
Sunday should also be a time together with others. It is the perfect occasion for people to visit and converse. There is no substitute for such face-to-face contact. In our individualistic age, where everyone is tethered to a machine, it does us all good to look up from our devices and get together with others to quell our insatiable thirst for community.
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Finally, I believe that true culture can only come from those who engage in leisure and take the time to contemplate the meaning of life. The failure to seek or even desire a psychological repose leads to much anxiety and stress. Many have come to disregard tranquility, recollection, and true leisure in favor of the exhaustion of constant activity. An Internet-free Sunday can be a time for those proportional spiritual pleasures—joys like conversation, art, and silence—that are part of a culture and need to be developed.
You Can Do it Too
I admit that an Internet-free Sunday is hardly something that will radically change the world. However, it is a good beginning. It is something practical and doable. It has a good effect upon me and those around me. Why not give it a shot?
Best of all, you know it can be done. I did it. You can too.