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You know, I never used to give anything up for lent, probably since about 3rd or 4th grade, but I did again for the first time last year. I realized that there *IS* a purpose, but that it, unfortunately, is never really communicated, or communicated well.
Really, I think the idea of giving something up for lent has a very Buddhist flavor to it, in that it involves material self-denial. It is an exercise in moving beyond corporeal attachments so as to find the joy in freeing ourselves from such restrictive addictions. That is not to say, of course, that physical pleasures are bad, but only that they can be inhibitive if we allow them to be. They can blind us to the greater pleasures. And, thus, I decided to begin this extended exercise of giving something up for lent again last year.
Last year, I gave up caffeine and carbonated beverages (so as to cover the loopholes) quite successfully. I planned on doing so again this year, but I wasn't thinking and just bought a 12 pack of Coke (which I will not drink in entirety tonight). So, I'll be starting a few days after lent officially begins, but that's what I'll be doing.
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Le temps détruit tout
"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
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