This sunday is the inaugural ‘Slow Sunday‘ from Resurgence. Each issue of Resurgence magazine will name a sunday to be slow sunday, with a recommended activity (or with any luck, inactivity) for the day. This one kicks off with the suggestion to bake your own bread.
The idea of a slow sunday isn’t new of course. It’s in the law of Moses in the Old Testament, and it’s a day of rest, more than it is a day for religious observance. It’s a day for keeping a blank diary, for planning downtime, one day in the week that’s not for sale.
Resurgence, another trust inspired by E F Schumacher, are putting a bit of a twist on this, reinventing the sabbath as “keeping one day a week for the earth”. That’s an interesting idea, except that one day to atone for environmental sins committed on the other six is no route to sustainability, and the invitation to “bake bread to save the planet” is overstating the case a little. Nonetheless, a sabbath day is a good idea with or without the religious motivations. It’s a break in the cycle, bringing a rhythm of work and rest to our lives. If we took Resurgence’s ideas and did something ‘slow’, it may remind us of what our priorities ought to be, and inspire us to slow down the rest of the week too.
Ways to take a ‘sabbath’ could include getting outside for the day, if you work indoors. If you’re online a lot, have an internet free day. Spend time with your kids. Turn off the TV for the day, or leave the stereo off and allow yourself some head space. Do some gardening. Have some friends over for lunch. Whatever you do, make it different, and purposefully slower.
The Earthbound Report 