I was reading through a book on the history of the harpsichord. One of the pictures showed monks with halos, plucking at a twelfth century instrument. A single-stringed instrument, prosaic by modern day standards. You couldn't tell by the painted expression of satisfaction on their faces. They seemed content plucking a mono-tonic string.
Monks shunned society because they saw the emptiness of being constantly engaged in a busy lifestyle. They understood the absolute necessity for humans to disengage from focussing on themselves and instead meditating on God. They took that understanding to an extreme that was unhelpful in the broader context. You can't change society if you're isolated from it. But, it released them to impact future generations through other avenues. They studied literature, translated great works into common languages, contributed to the arts, built schools and hospitals and encouraged spirituality on a deeper level.
There's a more balanced approach than completely walking away from our busy lifestyles. The need for vacations and time off from stressful situations can be remedied by exercising the discipline of disengaging from our hectic lifestyle daily, for an hour at the most. Sometimes, ten minutes of silence in your day, to clear your thoughts and relax is all it takes to handle the complexities of the remaining waking hours. In this respect, the Jewish tradition of observing a Sabbath, a complete day of rest every week, is gaining credibility in scientific observation. A recent study published findings that for our mental well-being, humans require one day a week to completely disengage from their usual activities, to rest.
Paradoxically, not taking time out regularly to think, recharge and relax leads to a feeling of general listlessness and disconnection. We find ourselves in the winter of our disconnect when we haven't invested in intentionally disconnecting our constantly stimulated minds.
