This is a bit tricky.
I'm a Diest/agnostic/atheist. So I don't have a "Lent" to follow.
And my personal life philosophy adhors the idea of self-sacrifice for its own sake. Doing without/abstaining from something is supposed to make you a better person. Though I have to say, I have yet to witness that effect in practice. I'm begining to think more and more that the "satisfied" poor aren't happy because they don't have anything, but because they have a lower level of satisfaction and thus are happy with what they have and thus haven't gone out to get more. Meanwhile, the rich are likely Type Aers who are never happy.
Having said all that, I usually follow "Lent." Partly out of the momentum of having done it so many years, and partly in solidarity with R.
So, to swing this back to the title: I'm mulling the idea of forgoing tea for Lent. I'm typing this - coffee in hand - at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. That's the day the whole thing is supposed to start. And its just before my review, which means I'm both wasting precious time and divided in my thoughts.
Forty days is quite a while. And while it wouldn't be like my last break because I wouldn't be giving up caffiene altogether, it would be 4x longer. But this is a good time for it. I need to make an order anyway, so I can take these 40 days, make an order, and have some celebratory tea on by B-day, which is conveniently close to Easter this year. A true Brester.
I'm undecided and unsure. And yet I'm 99% positive I'm going to do it. And hopefully it will go better than last time I tried something like this.
First off...your labels for this post sound like a book title "Lent, Life, Tea." Though for you it'd have to be "Books, Life, Tea"
ReplyDeleteI'm atheist and I sometimes observe Lent too, in a weird kind of momentum kind of way. I too am debating if I should this year (I'd give up chocolate). Oddly enough, Mom and Dad who are assumedly more religious than us do not observe it...which I find amusing since they were such sticklers when we were kids.
I think I like giving things up for two reasons, one because I like to prove I can stop at any time (I'm not addicted to chocolate, it's a lifestyle choice); and two because the idea of sacrifice interests me. I think Lent would be more interesting if the Church didn't interfere and change the rules around so much. Course then it'd be alot like Ramadan.
Err...that was off topic, I guess. I'm looking forward to Brester..though can we call it Birester to avoid the sexual allusion?
I spelled it Brester to avoid Breaster, but Birester isn't anywhere close to my name.
ReplyDeleteBryeaster? Breester?
I think Breester is the spelling closest to the phonetic sound of the holiday.
Ah, Ramadan. No food while the sun is up. I wouldn't last. But its kinda vampirey, which fits the mood of the nation, right now.
Re: Mom & Dad: Religious, yes. Spiritual... maybe not.
I was combining birthday and easter...but if we're using your name...Bryaster or Bryster works...actually I kind of like Bryster!
ReplyDeleteI too cannot fast during sunlight hours. MAYBE at christmas. For one day. if I can gorge in the morning and drink water during the day (which is normally not allowed).