Rest for The Weary
by The importance of finding rest in a hectic world.
In today’s technologically savvy and fast paced world, we often find little time to rest. With the revolution of industry leaving us only two days a week and possibly two weeks a year for rest and relaxation, we are supposed to use this time to replenish ourselves in order to return to our weekly grinds. For those of us in the progressive movements, those who use our free time by trying to save the planet, ensure social justice for all, or care for those unable to care for themselves, we have even less time in which to rest. And yet, we keep on doing it.
It often seems like there is so much to do and so little time in which to do it. Is it really necessary to find the time to rest? Can’t we just rely on a good six hours of sleep or so and get on with our lives? Surely will all of the recreational activities offered in America, we’re finding plenty of rest. The truth is that we don’t rest nearly as much as we should. Though we still have traditional weekends, only regular churchgoers and Chick-fil-A consider Sunday the day of rest anymore. We’ve just got too much to do to slow down. However, more people are finding that without adequate rest, they are coming to a grinding halt.
Life has two processes that continually interplay: catabolism and anabolism. Catabolism is involved with activity. It is the rigor that we exert throughout our work week and all of our actions, be they hobbies, volunteer work, or even entertainment and exercise. Anabolism is the process of replenishment. It is the period of renewal needed for catabolism to continue. It is the period of rest. Ultimately, if one of these processes stops, so will the other. This is the balance of living in a dualistic world. We have up and down, good and bad, light and dark, inside and outside, and yes, we have activity and rest.
So what kind of rest do we need? How do we actually get it? While sleep is a part of rest, it is not the complete process. In actuality, the body doesn’t necessarily need to sleep, only the brain and central nervous system do. However the body does need rest, as do the mind, heart, and spirit.
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