In the Absence of the Sacred: Why We Step Away from Media
A Message from Jake Ciofalo (“Mr. C”), 7th Grade Teacher at Mountain Laurel Waldorf School, and on behalf of the Media Committee
Each year, Mountain Laurel Waldorf School sets aside a week to live without media. No phones, no video games, no television, no scrolling. At first, this might feel like a deprivation, as though something essential has been taken away. But Jerry Mander, in his book In the Absence of the Sacred, helps us see that what is truly essential is not lost but recovered when we step out of the constant noise and visual bombardment of screens and into the living presence of the world.
Mander argues that modern technology often replaces rather than enriches life. He observes that “as we surround ourselves with ever more artificial substitutes for direct experience, we render the natural world and direct human experience increasingly irrelevant.” In other words, every hour spent in front of a glowing screen is an hour not spent in conversation, in nature, or in imaginative play. Waldorf education, with its emphasis on human connection, creativity, and reverence for the natural world, offers a direct answer to this problem. Our Media-Free Week is not a rejection of technology for its own sake—it is an affirmation that life is fuller when we engage with what is real.
A striking part of Mander’s book is his attention to indigenous cultures and the wisdom they carry. He reminds us that societies rooted in oral tradition and direct contact with the land have an experience of life that is both grounded and sacred. “The absence of the sacred,” Mander warns, is what occurs when technology and media dominate, cutting us off from the rhythms of nature and the stories that connect generations. During Media-Free Week, we try to restore a piece of that sacredness—not through abstract theory, but by baking bread, walking in the woods, listening to one another, reading a book under a tree, and allowing silence to teach us. And when we step away from those silences, let it be playing musical instruments, singing a song on the drives to and from school.
When the week is over, media will return to our lives. But the pause itself is a lesson. By stepping away, we discover that we are not defined by what streams across our screens but by the relationships we build, the creativity we bring forth, and the sense of wonder we cultivate. Mander’s words remind us that without the sacred, we risk losing what makes us human. Media-Free Week is our way of reclaiming it—together, as a school community.
For questions, support or guidelines about what constitutes media, please reach out to your child’s class teacher.
Resources & Events to Support Media-Free Week
Family Hike sponsored by Parent Council
Sunday, October 5th
10 am – 12 noon
Meet at River-to-Ridge Trail in New Paltz, NY
Parent Council Meeting
Friday, October 10th
2-3 pm at MLWS
Opportunity to review the week together