Since we need to connect, create and lead regularly, it is our obligation to recharge every day.
October 21, 2013 | by Faisal Hoque
For me, to unplug is to give up craving, to live mindfully, to move toward nirvana (Sanskrit for “complete liberation”).
Today, we suffer from a constant craving for information and the need to blast out whatever is on our minds to the rest of the world — thanks to social media. Unfortunately, all addictive behavior creates grief. And our addictive need to consume and share information is no different.
The Buddha — who knew a thing or two about unplugging — said:
“From craving grief arises,
From craving arises fear,
For him who is free from craving
There is no grief, then whence comes fear?As a tree with firm, uninjured,
Roots, though cut down grows up again,
So when latent craving is not rooted out
Suffering again and again arises.”
This passage has had a profound impact on my personal thinking. It refers to detachment as a practice to end craving and suffering. If we look at unplugging from this point of view, a few days of digital detox will be the equivalent to “cutting down a few roots” of a well-grown tree: craving will not stop.
Therefore, to truly unplug requires a disciplined approach to mentally detach from the in- and outflow of useless information. This detachment then becomes about — and maybe comes from — being mindful about what we do every day. Mindfulness has been described as “bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis.” It does not imply taking a vacation every other month or putting away your digital devices for a day or two to reach a fleeting grasp of what might feel like nirvana.
Read the full article @HuffPost.
