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Editorial
Lent - Does hardship have a halo?
I have never been the best at going without, I blame having been brought up in a Greek household where the motto has always been ‘food, and plenty of it’. The Christian side of my upbringing, however, has always been clear that lent is a time for abstaining, for Orthodox Christians that means forty days of veganism. To others lent means different things but the consensus is that it is a time for sacrifice. Whilst for many it is a good excuse to give up smoking or start their mid-season diets, the more religious tend to observe it as a time of self-denial and growth.
If life is about balance then surely in a society where a great deal of us have almost everything, going without can serve as a reminder of the suffering of the less fortunate. I cannot confirm the existence of a God, let alone a God who would consider fasting a time of spiritual growth; however I venture to say abstaining from certain things may be a positive for even the non-believers. After all, with sacrifice we can learn discipline, strength and, more importantly, appreciation.
Whether the prize of suffering is of the spiritual kind I cannot say, although, surely if there is a good and loving God, our morality should not be dependant on an ability to whittle down our diet for forty days. If pass cards into heaven were being handed out, then surely receiving one should be based upon how our whole lives were lived. That is not to say that the concept of lent is a completely redundant one. Perhaps some personal growth can come from self-denial, after all what better way to remind us of all we have, than going without for a while?
Very few people sail through life without a hardship or two, and I am certain if you ask you will discover that those who have prevailed through times of suffering have found themselves stronger for it. Personal growth often comes when the road taken is not the easiest, I find that pushing towards our limits reminds us of what we can achieve and in turn makes us stronger. I am grateful that thus far in life I had never had to endure any serious suffering; I know people who have faced times of hopelessness and pain and in speaking to them I realise they possess something the more fortunate may lack: gratitude. Hope often comes in time of pain, but gratitude is something we can all afford to strive for.
I can almost feel the disagreement radiating off the average reader, and so perhaps I should try a different approach, we are surrounded by temptation, and sometimes we need an incentive to better ourselves. So if nothing else, how about we treat it as a nice reason to have another attempt at our failed new year’s resolutions; I dare to say that a small change for five weeks may be the catalyst of a bigger long term change.