User talk:Tknafelc/Draft article on national Day of Unplugging

Introduction:
The Sabbath Manifesto was created to slow down the fast pace society in which we currently live. One project that the Sabbath Manifesto created is The National Day of Unplugging where the Jewish traditional beliefs of Sabbath are an integral part of this project. The group behind the Sabbath Manifesto and the National Day of Unplugging is a nonprofit Jewish community established in 2003 called Reboot. Their main objective is to give all individuals an opportunity to “reboot” their inner selves and disconnect from all forms of media and technologies, allowing people to refresh their lives and take a well deserved break. More specifically, The National Day of Unplugging takes the traditional Jewish beliefs and words of God where He mentioned, “On the seventh day thou shalt rest” and literally brings it back to modern society. The makers of this project argue that taking the challenge of unplugging will give individuals a chance to reconnect with loved ones instead of beloved/tangible things and technologies, which is further explained by the 10 principles of this challenge. To date, there has been two annual rituals for this challenge where the last one was held on March 4-5, 2011 and all forthcoming challenges will also be held in March.

What is The Unplug Challenge?
The purpose of this event is to challenge the world in tuning out of cyber space including all forms of technologies in order to appreciate the real things in life including family, friends, and time dedicated to oneself. Although this day is rooted from the Jewish faith, it applies to everyone. The actual month in which this event occurs on is during March but after the national challenges ends, individuals are still encouraged to continue to unplug as much as they are able to, i.e. weekly or monthly, as each person has their own Sabbath Manifesto. And yes, there’s an App for that. Although it appears to be a bit hypocritical, the purpose of the App is to assist with those taking the challenge by giving important reminders for shut off and information about the cause.

Challengers and their Experience

 * Andy Altman-Ohr Blog - Fellow Jewish follower, Andy Altman, describes his experience and difficulties without using technologies.
 * Community - Many people write about their expereinces and difficulties with their attempt to challenge themselves on the Sabbath Manifesto Community webpage.

The Growing Challenge
Many people have heard of this cause and have put their insights on the topic, including the famous Katie Couric. Many scholars have also written about the recent hype on this National Day such as Judith Shulevitz, author, columist and critic.