Ramadan

To all those celebrating, a blessed Ramadan.  I really enjoy the overlap of all these celebrations that are happening at this time of year.  It’s all the more delightful as I’m inside, keeping warm while spring is busy being changeable (we’ve got freezing rain and fog today.)  Quick update, I woke up early this morning to attend to my ablutions (isn’t that a fun word?) and went back to bed, where I slept happily for a few hours and managed to miss the water outage.  Don also slept through it, so there was no inconvenience or disruption to the day.  Jerry is in high energy mode again, and is agitating to get up on my lap for petting — I will report that he spent all afternoon on my lap in a rather (to me) awkward position, and would pull my hand back to pet him.  He’s got a strong personality, and is clear in communicating his demands!  There’s a hockey game on, and I’m being ignored LOL

Every Lent, as Christians know, we try fasting, Catholics perhaps more overtly than others.  There are the long-standing traditions of not eating meat on a Friday, which have been in place so long that it’s axiomatic.  For most of human history, finding enough food for survival has been a major issue.  So it seems odd that there would be restrictions on food, doesn’t it?  I think a large portion of the rules were aimed at the more affluent members of society who had multiple courses a day, and not to the majority who lived at or below subsistence levels.  I’m also of the view that a lot of the rules were aimed at the lowest common denominator and reduced to the simplest possible forms to be easily communicated in a world where literacy was low, and education wasn’t common.  Why do we fast?  I’m not going to repeat what I wrote some years ago, but to summarize, it’s a self-imposed deprivation to help us appreciate the abundance in our lives.  The rules for a Catholic about fasting are that everyone over the “age of reason” (usually 7) to the age of 70 should fast, with exemptions for the infirm, pregnant and breastfeeding women and those doing heavy physical labour.  So this year, because I was struggling with being able to eat I decided that I would not participate in the fast. As I explained earlier, I’m fasting from gossip, slander and being harsh towards others.  There was a lovely post a while ago on ego traps, which mentioned that if you decide to give up certain negative behaviours but then judge others, then you’re in an ego trap and you’re not benefitting from the change you claim to have embraced.

That being said, I’m concerned that I’m finding myself in one.  I find myself judging many people who profess to be religious but whose words (and hearts) are filled with hatred.  I should be finding ways to reach out to them and help them align their words and actions, but instead I find that I’m more likely to condemn them, delete their emails or change the channel when they come on.  I feel levels of anger towards those who use the scriptures to ostracize or attack others.   It’s horrific that verses are cherry-picked to support certain points, even to misquoting them. I hate to point out that there are more, and stronger, restrictions against infidelity and adultery than homosexuality in the bible.  But somehow, a blind eye is turned to the man who runs through 4 wives, multiple mistresses and who seeks out abortions for his girlfriends, while laws are passed to kill or imprison homosexuals!  How about a little equity?  If you’re so intent on “protecting marriage and family values,” then live out lives of kindness and love to all other humans, not try to dominate groups and live hypocritically. It would also mean leaving other people’s relationships alone.  Accept and love the people, disagree with their actions to your heart’s content, but don’t promote hate against any group.

Bleh.  I definitely have work to do to not be so angry and judgemental.  Oddly enough, people who are hateful to certain groups can be very kind to their immediate family and friends.  Many of them react the way they do because they have never been exposed to anything else, so it can happen that a rabid racist campaigner can change their minds and approach when they form a real bond with someone from a “despised” race.  I do admire someone like that who can change, as it highlights that there is hope for humanity.  The ones who are more concerned with appearances and who would cut family members out of their lives face a painful experience.  You can’t demonstrate love with intolerance and hatred, nor can you say that you love God when you hate people.

And I’m done preaching for tonight.  I’ll keep trying not to get so incensed about these people, and I’ll work on living up to the prayer, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  Meanwhile, it’s apparently National Puppy Week (or year, if Jerry had a vote) and I’m delinquent in tummy rubs and cuddles!  Good night.