Dieting is a painful word. It involves giving up your favourite indulgences; it involves controlling hunger pangs; it involves exercising; it involves denial to your urges to binge, to food cheat, to splurge. All tough things that you don't like but you must because to continue as you are is not good for you in the long run.As human beings we are creatures of our habits and many times our habits control us instead of us controlling our habits. Eating habits, sleeping habits, are all part of routines that we neglect and consider too insignificant or too tough to really change. We often hear people saying "I am an evening person" or " I am best early in the day" or "midday is too lazy for me". These are all routines that we have become slaves to. Thus the rituals in our lives become so powerful that to change or challenge them becomes very difficult.However it is our ability to question them and change them that is the hallmark of human progress.
Life is so fast and busy that there is not enoughtime to pause, reflect and see if we are heading in the right direction. Many people discover late in life that where they have reached is not where they wanted to reach. This fast pace of life has made us very mechanical in our approach, very processed in our actions and very set in our tasks. However it has made us also very upset with our way of life. We all know there should be more to life but what, when and where are questions we either don't have time for or even when we have answers to them we avoid them as they may require giving up routines that have become our comfort zone. Thus the ability to take a break and introspect and then act upon our real goals is a key to make life more meaningful.
The month of Ramazan is thus a break in life that is much more than not eating for 15 hours and then over eating to the extent of feeling sick. Ramazan is a month that is observed religiously. However the choice to treat it as a religious duty to be fulfilled or something more is a personal choice that people have. The spirit of this month is to revive the inner connection and nourish the spirit by practicing the most difficult of human faculties that is self-discipline and self-control. This ability of self-denial is the greatest feeling of self-empowerment, where our ability not to give in to our baser desires lift us above animals. Let us examine how various aspects of fasting can enable this self-empowerment.
Physical fasting: There is a dual purpose for this physical restraint. Firstly, to give the body a break and to eat modestly so that the pressure for eating more or thoughtlessly reduces and allows renewal for physical processes.This is especially true for those who are over dependent on smoking or excessive tea etc. as this month gives them a chance to reduce their dependence and give up a habit they have just become more and more attached to. Secondly to empathize with almost 2 billion people in the world who still cannot afford two decent meals a day. When the hunger pangs happen and it becomes difficult to wait for the iftar time for just 30 days imagine people living a life in that state. This thought itself invites people to be more sensitive to the needs of the needy and make an effort to reach out to them. Tip; think of one food dependency that you need to give up and think of one person you need to help and just do it.
Mental fasting: The spirit of Ramazan is a restraint on one's thought process too. The ability to control the mind from thoughts that are untoward, that are negative, that are unproductive is also the essence of Ramazan. The restraint on avoiding conflicts, remaining hopeless and upset is also part of the value system that one needs to review in this break. Values of gratitude, of forgiveness are prime to be adopted to cleanse the mind of the feelings of anger, of envy, of hopelessness. Ramazan gives you this opportunity to focus on being content and grateful. Tip; think of one person who has hurt you and you carry a grudge against and genuinely forgive him or her.
Emotional fasting: The ability to feel beyond yourself is what distinguishes humans from animals. Ramazan is a time for being stingy about your own emotions and being generous about other people's emotions. Most of the time we are so self-centered and so absorbed in getting more and more for ourselves that we don't have time to think of helping others. The concept of Zakat especially in Ramazan is that we give to others but before giving we empathize with others, we relate to their emotional stresses. That will only happen if we stop being self-obsessed and how our life is full of issues. The true spirit of fasting is also focused on denying emotional urges and gaining control over your feelings and directing them to make others feel better about their life.Tip; select one person who needs your help in an emotional and financial dilemma he or she is facing and become their healer.
Spiritual fasting: Ramazanis a soul searching time. To nourish the spirit the ability to go above and beyond yourself and find a deeper meaning to life is essential. Many people find their living, their jobs and their roles in life very meaningless. They try to seek satisfactions that are temporary but are never really able to find their true calling. The spirit of fasting is to look deeper within and meditate. The true essence of prayers is a communion with a higher purpose to discover more about what matters most to you. This search within can really help you find contentment and fulfillment. Tip; write and act on one thing that you will do which will give your more satisfaction than anything else.
As Pierre Teilhard said "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience."
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