Within the mainstream western liberal traditions there is the idea that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” and that “all play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.”
William Davies the vagabond poet wondered, “What is this life if, full of care, there is no time to stand and stare.
BUT - Within the mainstream religious traditions there is the opposing thought that “the devil finds work for idle hands to do”. If you do not have useful work to do, you will be tempted to do frivolous or harmful things to be rid of your boredom.
“Knowing that the devil finds work for idle hands to do, Elizabeth always made sure that her children had plenty of chores to keep them occupied.” http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com
But then one of the ten, Christian commandments recognizes the need to take breaks. Exodus chapter 20 verses 8-11 are as follows:
- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
- Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
- But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates:
- For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The basic idea of a period of rest (Sabbath) turns up in many cultures and there are many variations on it. For example a sacred Sabbath is recognized in a range of cultural traditions including Judaeo-Christian, Babylonian, Buddhist, Native American (Cherokee), Islam, and Wicca. And, it can last for three minutes, a day, week, month, year, or life time.
The need for a secular Sabbath is recognized in Chinese and Soviet systems and also in parts of the USA. For example, in 1961 the Supreme Court of the United States held that contemporary Maryland Sunday rest laws were intended to promote the secular values of "health, safety, recreation, and general well-being" through a common day of rest. That this day coincided with the majority Christian Sabbath neither reduces its effectiveness for secular purposes nor prevents adherents of other religions from observing their own holy days. (Ref Wikipedia). Also most nation states recognise annual rest days (holidays = holy days)
A modern concept of sabbatical, is of a break in the career of an individual. Such a period is often taken to fulfill a goal such as writing a book or travelling for research. Some employers offer paid or unpaid ‘sabbatical leave’ as an employee benefit.
For many years I have been in the habit of taking regular short or long term leave of my ordinary monkey mind. The short version involves taking a deep breath when anxiety looms so as to come back to the present moment. The medium term version involves just sitting and dropping off body and mind in Zen mindfulness style. The longer version is to take a year or more out to investigate key topics. At first this involved Master degrees at university but latterly it has been a case of teacher teach yourself.
When wandering around the Sunday supermarkets and DIY superstores the concept of the sacred and spiritual Sabbath often comes to mind. Obese, capitalist consumers with groaning trolleys. What hope is there of renunciation catching on?
What chance of dull Jack becoming more than a mere toy?
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