Saving the World in One Day - Shabbat Around the World

It's Friday mid-afternoon and I'm winding down my week, finishing my calls, making final notes and shutting down my computer in preparation for 25 hours of recharging. We call it 'Shabbat' and I follow all of the rules that come with it: no TV or radio, no driving, no lighting fires, no work, no cooking, no . . . Listen, it's not exactly what I'm 'not' doing, it's more what I am doing. I'm saving the world.

For the next 25 hours nothing gets in between my children, my wife and I but sleep. We'll eat a dinner together with our extended family and some friends. After our guests leave, my wife, kids and I will go for a walk, talk, come home and all cuddle up to read before falling asleep. Either my wife or I will usher the kids off to their own beds because they usually nod off while reading.

Tomorrow morning we'll eat a light breakfast together, walk over to pray and meet with others, have a communal meal, come back home and nap a little, go for a walk, play games together, read some inspiring materials, eat again, sometimes sleep a little more, and in general 'do nothing' together. Nothing but save the world. No kidding, we're saving the world.

I explained Shabbat to a friend this way the other day: years ago I was an actor traveling the country for months at a time. We'd be in a different hotel each night and I'd mostly just grab some clothes off the top of my duffle bag every day to get me to the shows and home from them because we worked all week and onstage we had costumes so no one cared how we looked.

Come the weekend, I'd dig deep into the dufflebag, take out my best clothes, clean and iron them, get ready for rest and relaxation. I'd enjoy a period of good food, friends, fun and recharging my batteries. Celebrating Shabbat is something like that -- it's digging deep into my soul, pulling out my best 'spiritual' garb, and resting from the 'stuff' that happens every day.

It's not rocket science, lots of books are written on the idea that rest is not optional for peak performance. I really recommend The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, where they explain the rhythm of exertion and rest as a key concept to reaching full potential. Working long hours without recharging is the equivalent of driving a car without ever stopping to fuel up or do maintenance. It's crucial, not optional that you stop, rest and recharge in order to be effective. The more regular your periods of rest and recharge, the more effective you can be.

So how does taking a 25 hour break have anything to do with saving the world? Well for me, it is not only physical and spiritual recharging; it's also emotional and intellectual. I've just added a new consideration, it's not like I've invented it, it's just that it is actually in my consciousness now on a whole new level. Each Shabbat I take a break from judging, criticizing, pre-judging, impatience and my weekly thought addictions of 'how, what, who, how many, where, what next, etc.' I leave the mind that I've been filling all week with 'stuff', thoughts, judgment, criticism and complaint and let it all go for one day. I listen as if everything I read is true, as if everything people say to me is true. Since I can't purchase anything, sign anything or discuss business, this restful naiveté is affordable.

For this one day a week I rest from adding emotional pollution to the world and that, in short, is saving the world.

Think about it: one day where everyone is perfect in your eyes. One day where you don't immediately add whatever anyone says or does to a predetermined opinion of them, to a muddy pool of opinion and judgment. One day where everyone else's foibles are off limits. Think of how much freer and open all of your relationships would be if you could wipe out all of the cobwebs and see with new eyes!

I'm also saving the world literally. Think about the possibility, in terms of global pollution, not just emotional pollution, if everyone in the world pledged to take one day where they didn't turn on lights or use electricity, didn't drive a car, pre-cooked a day's meals so they didn't have to use cooking gas, where all public transportation was shut down except for emergency teams.

Think about the possibility of a world where at least one day a week everyone turned off their cell phones, got away from their computer terminals and their TV screens and went for a walk. Think of a world where at least one day a week people met in the streets, said hello and rested from their effort and struggles, rested from habitual thinking and prejudices. Can you imagine if everyone in the world meditated or prayed, individually or communally, at least once a week or read something that inspired, moved and encouraged them at least once every week?

What would Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' scenario be if every culture in the world shut down for one day every week of no fossil fuel burning (aside from the few lights it takes to light a communal room for reading and games)? He'd have to re-vamp all of his scenarios because even one world-wide day of no fossil fuel burning would change even the worst pollution scenario.

It's really not that inconceivable that every culture could take this on - it's already a practice to observe one day of rest, whether or not it's called Shabbat, not only for Jews but for Christians, Muslims and even Wiccans. But there's a secret here, and as long as it's just you and me talking, I can let you in on it: it's not necessary for the whole world to do this to make a difference. If I could just convince you to take a rest day and you could convince someone else . . .

Come on, it's simple to save the world. It's not always easy; but it is simple. Stop. Take a rest. Recharge. Inspire. Breathe. Talk. Sleep. Eat. Meditate. Don't do. Be.

Simple. Not always easy. But worth it?

Can you take on spreading the word?
Can you share this with at least one other person and challenge them to create their own personal Shabbat to save the world?
What are you doing, what can you do and all the other questions that follow.
Let me hear from you and I'll respond as quickly as I can -- just not on Shabbat.

Follow James M. Lynch on Twitter: www.twitter.com/YourActingCoach

Comments

[ModernTimes1]

About once a month ( or more often when I can) I reach for the electric circuit breaker switch and turn all electricity in my condo. It has a very relaxing effect. Ironically it makes us feel closer to the universe and the outside environment.
Much more so then all the Twitters and wwws of the world.

[James M. Lynch - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear MT1: I realized too late that I hadn't mentioned turning off the Twitter, FB and other www stuff specifically and reading it in your comment brought that back to me. Yikes! You've brought up a great point -- shutting off the electronic 'hum'. I like your idea and would recommend it to more people. Thanks!

[Rachael Freed - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi James,
I read your post on Shabbat and changing the world with great pleasure.

As a fellow HP blogger, my passion is about writing ethical wills (legacy letters to preserve our values, wisdom and love with future generations). Each month I send out a free email called Legacy Tips&Tools to subscribers (www. life-legacies.com).

In April 2008 the subject was "The Legacy of Sacred Time." (www.life-legacies.com/tips/archive.html) It began as your post does, expressing the importance of making time sacred, then provided suggestions for a simple practice to help legacy writers explore for themselves ways they can do Sabbath, with a reminder that how we live as well as what we write is a legacy to those we love.

May your post inspire others to practice and share Shabbat, and may it provide a legacy for future generations all over the planet.

Rachael Freed

[James M. Lynch - Huffpost Blogger]

Rachael,
Yea -- we're in tune! I love it and let's get the job done, whatever package it comes in. I also found this in REAL SIMPLE magazine for August:,Tom Hodgkinson: 10 Ways to Enjoy Doing Nothing. I have to admit I read the article on Shabbat during part of my non-spiritual reading time!
You might also like my wife's site: www.SacredSpacesHome.com. It's about home and business organizing but it goes so much further and does so much more.
I look forward to reading your posts!
James.

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear James,

I love your idea! I've actually been on a kind of "enforced" mini-Shabbat in the aftermath of surgery. It's been an interesting time. Almost a week without traveling in a car, however I have consumed electricity.

Having been with your family on Shabbat, I know what a wonderful time you all have. It's beautiful actually, to observe the Sabbath in this way. I wholeheartedly agree it would make a huge difference in everyone's lives to adopt this practice one day/week. And, it would require a total commitment to transform how one lives. It would definitely break one out of automatic patterns.

Do we get to pick the day?

Thanks for this ingenious post.

Love,
Judith

[James M. Lynch - Huffpost Blogger]

Dr. J.,
You get to pick the day and even if it were for 12 hours it would make a difference; anything we can create as a trend and enroll others in, as you know well, shifts the entire future of the entire world and everyone in it, even those that don't choose to change can benefit. Isn't that fun to think of? I just came out of Shabbat and in it I did a deep 'reach' into some of my automatic triggers, angers and fears -- it was a pretty moving experience and its time I need to use to achieve balance and continue my own journey. Yet I went for so long in my life without taking the time for regular and rhythmic rest! I have to admit that the laying around with my wife and kids part is kind of my 'soft spot' too.
While you're resting, if you haven't read it yet -- The Power of Full Engagement -- is a fabulous book. Send me your address on a personal line and I'll order one sent to you as a get well gift.
And, by the way, you could order a copy of 'The Hamlet Secret' at authorhouse.com! Finally here; even thought we're still in pre-press mode, but it's for sale and a few copies have started shipping!
Love and best health wishes,
James.

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

Great James,

Will order the book and send you my address. Good luck on the book, that's very exciting!

Thanks,
Judith

[kimborambo]

ironic this was posted during shabbat...

[James M. Lynch - Huffpost Blogger]

HMMMMMMMMM­MMMMMMMMMM­MMM, but it was posted BEFORE Shabbat so . . .

AND, I don't care if everyone observes my Shabbat, just a Shabbat. How about you?

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

Of all criticisms - or refutations - of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' I certainly like yours best.

Maybe there's a way he could include it into his power-point? I count this as having challenged Al Gore to create his own personal Shabbat - in fulfilment of my duty to challenge at least one person to ponder this ingenious, world-saving trick. :-)

[James M. Lynch - Huffpost Blogger]

Al, Are you out there? I'd LOVE to get this into his hands just to see what data we could come up with around each and every person in the world taking one Shabbat per week. How fast would we turn around the dire forecasts? I know he'd be up to it! Al?