Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World

by A.J. Swoboda

While a biblical Sabbath is different from a vacation, it is not just a “day off” either. It is possible for one to not be at work physically but still be at work in one’s heart. Culturally, it is assumed that when we are not at work, we are free to do as we please. But in reality, our jobs and bosses do not really allow us to disengage from work even in our off hours. It is presumed in the modern workplace that we will all continue to work at home. This is exacerbated by the fact that, as we will discuss in a later chapter, we often do not Sabbath because technology invades every part of our life. With our computers in our pockets, what should be a Sabbath day turns out to be a day at home where we are thinking about work. This problem has been identified as a cultural crisis in France. Because of the modern rhythms of work that are mediated through personal computers and phones, people, in the words of one cultural commentator, “leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash—like a dog.”46 More often than not, our “days off” are days where we are spatially at home, but emotionally and mentally at work. Do these “days off” constitute a Sabbath day?