migblog

so many people around me are giving up things for lent, it's crazy. i feel as if i should give something up just for the hell of it, even if i'm not at all that devout of a christian (let alone a catholic). but seriously though, forty days of not having something, and then to immediately get it thrown back in your face afterwards... story of my life, isn't it? only in this case, forty days was more like seven years, and it wasn't entirely voluntary. plus i gave up my mom, so that wasn't a great experience growing up. but i digress.

whenever i hear someone say "oh yeah i gave it up for lent," i commend them, no matter how silent i am in their presence. there's such a sacrifice you have to put up with during those forty days, and that's tough. i remember not watching television for forty days when i was seven. i almost died when i couldn't watch saturday morning cartoons. of course there are those of us who joke about lent -- "yeah, i gave up my morals for lent" or "i'm giving up my virginity for lent" -- but deep down, there's just something i can't fathom about giving something up for forty days. just imagine those people who have to sacrifice something every freaking day of their existence -- diabetics have their insulin shots, lactose intolerants can't drink milk, vegans don't even touch leather -- so what's the big deal about giving up a certain type of food or an experience (like, say, playing videogames or watching television or playing cards) when you can come back to it after nearly a month and a half?

it seems kinda silly to give something up knowing you can have it back again. if lent sacrifices were at all cumulative, imagine how many less christians in the world there would be. try something like, forty years without fancy clothes or fory years of no hair products, on top of thirty-nine years of celibacy and thirty-eight years of no makeup. the world would be so prudish, it's scary. but it's not gonna happen (thank god!) so no worries. i'm just saying -- if you can hold it off for forty days without even thinking baout it, good for you. you might even have phased it out of your lifestyle. but to come back to if afterwards after having gone so far... it's like a bad diet plan they sell on television on those infomercials, where you lose weight for two weeks and gain back double afterwards.

what exactly do you gain after a fast? self-respect? spiritual empowerment? or is it fair to say that it's purely for bragging rights, which would kinda defeat the purpose?

i think it's the fact that you're more secure than others about your faith, and if after all this sacrificing you find yourself a better person with a better understanding of yourself, that's what lent sacrifice is all about. don't misconstrue this as a "what the fuck are you doing wasting your time sacrificing shit for lent" rant -- it's quite the opposite. i find it a mentally and spiritually daunting task. i'm not partaking in it because i think otherwise, but if that's your boat, then that's great. it's really your call, religion.

and hi, 1509 grant.

posted by Open Source Food @ 3:42 PM