What are you giving up for Lent?

In the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter, many religious folks traditionally practice acts of self-denial in reference to Jesus' time spent in the desert fasting and not giving in to temptation from the Devil. Less-religious folks often take this time for general self improvement as well.

Regardless of the reason, are you participating in Lent this year? If so, what are you giving up?

Fast food?
Taking elevators?
Dessert?
Procrastination?

Share with us here.

I personally am not participating this year. I have other things to worry about at this stage of my life.

 

I am not drinking alcohol for the month of March. It's not Lent but there is some overlap.

 

Every time someone asks me what I'm giving up for Lent, I tell them Christianity. It still gets dirty looks from my grandmother, and yet she still asks every year as if I've finally come around and rejoined the congregation.

Seriously though, there are some things I'd like to change about myself. Though I don't think I'll be full on giving anything up, maybe I can use the same timeframe for some introspection and goal setting.

 

Masturbating.

Uh....um...how long does lent last?

 

I'm not Catholic, or even religious, for that matter. I've done Lent since high school, though. One of my good friends was Catholic, and I said I'd give something up, too, in solidarity.

I sort of forgot about it this year. I remembered, after I was already in bed on Tuesday, that it was Mardi Gras and the next day was Ash Wednesday.

My original plan was to give up dessert, but the teacher I help with the robotics team just made me a strawberry cheesecake, and I'd feel terrible wasting it. Then I settled on chocolate, which is my go-to Lent thing.

Decided this morning that I'm expanding it to candy in general. For the record, there's going to be a Cadbury Egg Apocalypse on Easter.

 

Conveniently about a week and a half before May begins.

 

I might have the unpopular opinion here, but for the most part and for the majority of people, I find Lent to be a navel gazing new year's resolution under the guise of religion and spirituality. The beginning of Lent gets on my nerves because everyone posts these things on social media that just makes them look entirely inept and narcissistic and shows that they've completely missed the whole point of "giving something up". It seems like a large group of people only give up something with the goal of making their physical appearance more desirable.

After 8 years of Catholic school, I've amassed a pretty large group of Catholic and religious friends, so every spring, I see things like:
"Giving up eating between meals for Lent. Bikini body for spring break, here I come!"
"Giving up Facebook and Twitter for Lent. But you can still text me! LOL!"
(These are not exaggerations. These are copied and pasted.)

Throughout the decade-plus of religion classes I've had (Pre-K through high school youth group), I've always been taught that Lent was to clear out distractions in your life and figure out how to strengthen your faith and spirituality. Even though I am no longer religious in any way, I still use the Lenten time as a period of introspection and reorganizing my life to prioritize, much like how I don't necessarily agree with Valentine's Day as a structured holiday, but appreciate the widely accepted day on the calendar as a reminder to tell people how I feel about them.

I understand where giving up sweets/alcohol/etc comes from, it's 40 days of giving up something that would otherwise be difficult to give up. And obviously this rant isn't meant to be an asshole to any of you. It just seems like lately we just need to rename Lent "The 40 day Jesus Diet".

 

My senior year of high school my friend group and I all made a bet to see who could give up masturbation the longest out of the 40ish days of Lent. Being 17 year old boys, almost none of us made it to the end (a couple of them did, and then after splitting the money, apparently promptly locked themselves in their rooms and didn't come out for a few days).

Never. Again.

 

Just snorted carbonated water up my nose

***

To be honest, I don't think I've ever considered the "adding something" approach. I like that. Related: earlier this morning, I read something where a woman wrote a letter a day during Lent. She chose people who had specifically had an impact on her life. I really like that idea.

 

I love that verse, even after hearing it so many years ago. I wish more people took verses like that seriously.
--- merged: Mar 6, 2014 at 11:34 AM ---

You're welcome, dear.

I'm just in the camp where I should add something with more meaning, as opposed to taking something superficial away.

 

Yup. This is one big reason why I was okay with starting this thread. Only encouraging others to share if they feel so comfortable with doing so.

As opposed to the 'shouting from the rooftops' approach taken by people who plaster all of social media with the these sorts of things.

 

18 years of Catholicism was enough for me. Other than weddings and funerals, I haven't set foot in a church since. "Lapsed Catholic" works for me.

I see giving up things for Lent the same as New Years' resolutions; pointless to me. Why do you need an occasion or timeline, just do it.

 

Nope, that's way too long.

Agreed.

My urologist told me that for males ejaculating 3-4 times a week helps to keep the male plumbing in good working order. I'm not sure what excuse(s) the ladies have .

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I apologize for the inappropriate joke. Some thoughts should stay in my head.

Lent fits into my overall view on religion: Let folks deal with it however they see fit. But please don't try to cram your beliefs, whatever they are, down someone elses throat.

 

I've often been in the same position you are, and after 25 years most of the people I'm friends with have known me long enough that they either have severe stockholm syndrome or don't mind my... unique... approach to these things. Given that I've been told at least one person has used a Denis Leary song for my ringtone it's probably both.

I think the problem is, like many things, people don't want to think. They just want to go through motions without actually investing in Lent and the easiest way to do that in our calvin-malthus-walmart nightmare of a culture is to engage in what I can only describe as collective contentless sympathy porn.

It's the exact same broken thought pattern as when people treat "Diet and Exercise" like a round of antibiotics, something you pinch your nose and gulp down for two weeks and then you're all better, rather than a permanent change in lifestyle and thought.

 

They were lucky for you to have made such a decision—you have a lovely voice!

 

Yom Kippur (no food/water/sex for 25 hours) is shorter, but more intense.

I guess it's the self-affliction sprint, as opposed to the self-affliction endurance run.