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Originally Posted by raeanna74
As for what I'm giving up. I haven't ever considered giving things up in favor of this time.
I understand some of the ideas behind doing it but I have had so much religion stuff down my throat that I choke on the idea of doing another religious rite or tradition. It all seems so hollow and so many religious people do it like sheep that it's abhorrrant to follow the flock of them.
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That's why I mentioned it in the first post. What I am after here is more of a secularization of Lent, much in the same way Christmas has been embraced by one and all. I'd like it to be a traditional time of reflection on material things (as Secret suggests) but also a time of reflection (by extension) on those who go without.
I don't think we do enough longer term type reflections in our increasingly secualrized lives (heck, even those who claim to be religious could use more reflection).
I was chatting with a muslim friend about Ramadan and the fasting they do and it occured to me that Lent is a similar tradition (much overlooked). When he spoke of what Ramadan meant to him I began to wonder if there wasn't some way to introduce this (longer term) time of reflection to everyone. Call it suffering if you like but I like to see it as doing without something that you take for granted (TV, coffee, chocolate, etc.). It is my thought that everytime you go to reach for it, and if you are willful enough to resist it, you will take that moment to reflect. Enough little moments and it adds up to a greater realization of the place of material posessions in your life.
It made sense to me when I thought it up. This is about a "spiritual" as I get folks.