Sabbath, Nyepi, and Pandemic: The Relevance of Religious Traditions of Self-Restraint for Living with the ‘New Normal’

Yahya Wijaya

doi:10.1177/09539468211031358

Abstract

This article focuses on the relevance of religious traditions of self-restraint, particularly Sabbath and Nyepi, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. From an economic perspective, the pandemic interrupts a lifestyle marked by an unceasing process of production and consumption that affects almost all aspects of life. Such a lifestyle, known as ‘productivism’, has been confronted with ‘anti-productivism’ promoted by groups of Marxism-inspired intellectuals and activists. Employing the method of public theology, this study reveals that religious traditions of self-restraint prepare humanity to anticipate interruptions of regularity, such as a pandemic, in a way that is critical of productivism yet distinct from anti-productivism. From a spiritual perspective, the pandemic and religious traditions of self-restraint should be perceived as synergistic appeals to a balanced lifestyle that is socially, economically, and ecologically harmonious.

Highlights

What started as a virus outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China, became a global multidimensional crisis affecting almost all aspects of life
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupts normal activities and events including those of education, business, religion, arts, politics, sport, travelling, and leisure
Given the global nature of a pandemic, there is no option of moving to a foreign country to avoid living with the ‘new

Summary

Introduction

What started as a virus outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China, became a global multidimensional crisis affecting almost all aspects of life. Wealth possession can still provide privilege to some extent Those living in a modern residency are less vulnerable to virus transmission than the inhabitants of a dense kampong. The history of humankind demonstrates that pandemics are not at odds with the regularity of human civilization They are, a part of life’s normality. Interrupting life’s regularity by self-restraint is a common tradition found in many religions and spiritualities. The Balinese subscribe to a Hindu tradition of ‘Nyepi’ (silencing), that is, the day of total silence when all human activities are halted for 24 hours. This study links religious traditions of self-restraint, the Sabbath and the Nyepi, to the debate on today’s economic life with respect to the COVID pandemic. Dicky Sofjan and Muhammad Wildan (Jakarta: ICRS/KPG, 2020), p. 284

Methodology

Pandemic as a Medium of Spiritual Message

Conclusion