WHEN I heard about “digital sabbatical,” I realized that every human being hooked on technology has other options. An option happens to be priceless.
In this modern age when almost every man and woman is preoccupied with all kinds of gadgets, time for bonding with the rest of the family becomes a rare occasion.
Digital sabbatical therefore means going through the entire day without any kind of electronic technological influence.
Almost every parent or grandparent that I have encountered, living with the young generation, has the same complaint and that is: “They are impossible to talk to when they are with their computers or their cell phones.”
“It is even more impossible when they have their earphones as they listen to music on an iPod and they cannot even hear you,” some parents added.
Working parents also grumble about children who do not find time to help in the household chores. They come home tired from work and the house is in disarray with piles of used plates in the kitchen sink.
I first heard the word digital sabbatical from a father who works at home using the technology of a computer as he has an outsourcing job. He said he always makes it a point to spend a day with the rest of the family. The rule of the day is that nobody touches an electronic device or bring a gadget with them should they spend their time-out away from home. Well, that is what I would call a total respite.
An individual is called such for a reason. We all differ by the choices we make and our choices have consequences.
If we prefer not to listen to nature when it speaks, we suffer in the end. This is when we have floods and landslides.
Last Sunday, the priest’s homily struck home to most of the Catholic faithful who were in attendance. He said: “The Bible is the word of God in the words written by men for us, for our salvation.”
Then he added his observation: “Most of us have Bibles but these are just gathering dust at home because you do not read it. It is one thing to own a Bible; it is another matter when you read it.”
Can we complain when criminality is high?