Last week, Christians around the world celebrated the holiday of Ash Wednesday to begin the holy season of Lent. For those who don’t know, Lent is a forty day season from Winter to Spring symbolically remembering Jesus’ forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert before entering the city of Jerusalem. This is a time when Christians reevaluate their lives to repent, pray, give to the poor, and to get it right with the Divine.
I didn’t give anything specifically, but I want to try to reduce the time I spend on my phone and social media to an hour a day. I personally don’t like the holiday just because it requires me to do more work and to take on a challenge. As much as I don’t like the status quo being changed, I think it’s good because it ultimately makes me a better person for taking on a sacrifice and inspires me to be less lazy.
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday as a last “hurrah” party before giving up the things you love. Mardi Gras and Carnival parades are more commonly known and celebrated in warmer areas like Louisiana, Europe, and throughout Latin America. It’s common to hear “I gave up chocolate” or “I gave up ice cream” over Lent. I was listening to 101.9 WFAN, and the hosts were telling funny stories about their experiences with Lent when they were children. One host said he would pretend that he liked tuna sandwiches the week before Ash Wednesday and then say that he “gave it up” for Lent. A lot of people tend to cheat the system and give up things they don’t actually enjoy or care about.
Similarly, other religions have seasons of penance, fasting, and almsgiving. One example is Ramadan in Islam, which also takes place in the springtime. In Judaism, Yom Kippur takes place in the fall and involves fasting and repentance. Although these are religious traditions, there is no reason why non-religious people cannot also “tag along” and participate in these holidays. The idea of dedicating time for self-discipline and striving for virtue could benefit anyone, regardless of what religion you practice or if you even practice religion at all. You should ask yourself, what bad habits do I have, and which ones do I want to break?
This is a very complicated question, but there are always ways we can become better people and teach ourselves better habits. A bad habit that many college students partake in is gossiping. It might be hard to stop because it’s so embedded in our day-to-day lives, but it’s worth the effort to try to avoid it. Finding out that someone is talking about you behind your back could be upsetting and it might feel good to let out your emotions about somebody, but it could tear someone else down. Many young people struggle with jealousy. This subject can range to many areas of life including jealousy over seeing other couples, friends that have better careers, etc. Social media and Instagram make this problem even worse because it makes people think “the grass is greener” due to the surplus of positive posts they see. People need to realize that everyone is different and you are a totally unique person. There’s no reason for jealousy, and what you see on social media is fake most of the time anyway.
You should ask yourself, have I been a greedy person? Do I often care more about people’s money than who they are as people? Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. The desire for money and wealth affects everyone from young to old. Money is deceptive – it will never satisfy your heart no matter how hard you try. Countless people have fallen for this lie and continue to be fooled by the appeal of being wealthy.
You can also consider your eating and drinking habits. Overeating can cause health issues like obesity, higher blood pressure, and liver issues. Moderation is key, especially when it comes to sweets and other unhealthy foods that should only be enjoyed on occasion, not every day. Consumption habits vary from person to person, but it might be something to keep in mind as something to consider for Lent.
Another tradition of Lent is not eating meat on Fridays. I am not a vegan, but I have gotten into eating plant-based foods. Over the years, I have started to enjoy the taste of plant-based foods more than real meat. There has been a movement to eat more plant-based food, avoiding meat and other animal products due to their negative impact on the environment and the questionable ethics of the meat industry. Giving up meat could be another thing to consider implementing into your everyday life, not just for Lent.
I’m not a psychologist or minister so I don’t know everything about how to master these virtues, but there are plenty of resources out there to help you make these changes in your life. Finding an accountability partner to help you stick to your goals and motivate you through your journey to becoming a better person can also be a huge help if you’re struggling to keep yourself on track.
