40 days and 40 nights without Facebook

Sioux Indian Fasting

Starting tomorrow I will be fasting. I have never done it before, some of my friends and family did it and inspired me to join them this year.

I am not part of any religion, so I do not know traditions connected to fasting. We celebrate Easter and Christmas, the general Christian holidays, but more as a part of our traditions, not connected to the religious background. To us it is time for family and friends enjoying life together and celebrating what we have.

I have friends with very diverse cultural backgrounds, which is why I had the chance to join Muslim Ramadan meals, watch Indian friends fasting, and saw other people repeating rituals connected to their believe. I was always a little bit envious of the rich history those people carry with them. They did something they believe brings them closer to God.

In history, people have conducted cleansing rituals in all kind of ways. Back in the days spring was a classical time to do fasting, as it was a time where natural food reserves got scarce in Europe and nature forced people to eat less. Today, we can get whatever we want and seasonal food is foreign to us. The supermarkets offer strawberries right now, shipped in from Israel and Spain, while the actual German season for it starts only in mid-may. On top of that we spend our time watching TV and checking Facebook instead of reading a book or doing something productive.

The 40 days before Easter is the general Christian time to fast. Originally the time before Christmas was meant for fasting as well, but let’s focus on Easter. It goes back to Jesus who went 40 days into the desert and fasted. During time it developed from everybody fasting, to just the monasteries fasting, who also altered the fasting rules quite a bit, by brewing beer and later eating fish and heavy flour meals.

In a spiritual way you are requested to reflect on your current habits and life style. It is a time of physical and psychological cleansing and that is also what makes it so attractive to me.

After returning from India, I had bad stomach problems and somehow nature forced me to fast, as I could eat healthy things without problems, but as soon as I would eat junk, I would feel pain. Slowly my stomach got used to German food again and by now I can eat whatever I want without any problems. But now the side effects of my life style are showing: my skin breaks out, my belly is growing and I do not get enough motion. After returning from a long day at work, I watch my favorite series until I fall asleep and I have Facebook running in the background at all times.

I am not going to do some of these hardcore 7 days fasting cures, where you only drink soup. As it is the first time I am fasting and for 40 days, I have planned to make a more long-term plan.

So here is what I will do:

START
- Eating vegan, i.e. relinquish from meat, fish, milk products, eggs, etc.
- Practicing the guitar
- Walking slower

STOP
- Using Facebook
- Eating sugar and junk food
- Drinking alcohol
- Avoiding conflicts

I would like the 40 days to start living more consciously. This means that I want to be aware of my eating habits and take back more time for doing things I see as an investment to myself. There are many things I want to do better as a person. I have changed quite a bit the last couple of years and not only for the better. Since I have been in Berlin, I noticed that I avoided conflicts with certain people. It was more convenient, just to keep it for myself, as a confrontation would risk a fight and maybe the loss of a friend. I think it is fun to try something new, like eating vegan. It is nothing I can imagine doing forever, but I like the thought of trying it out. I bought a cookbook and a book on fasting, so I have things to return to when it gets too hard. I am mostly concerned about the Facebook part, as I spend a lot of time on it. I heard on the radio that it is a common thing to do for fasting, so I know I wont be the only one. And as for the walking: I hurry everywhere. I cannot walk outside without getting stressed about reaching a bus or being on time. When I walk together with others, I am always somewhere ahead, because I just cannot slow down. I am going to try and slow down a bit the next 40 days.

It is said that people feel lighter when they fast. This feeling of unloading is what drives me to go through the process.

I would be glad if you leave a comment below. Tell me what you think about my plan.