Tis the time of year for Catholics to sacrifice something for forty days. Now, don't get me wrong I understand the reasoning and everything, but doesn't that just seem a little well, silly? Depriving yourself of something you love. I think we, as a society, sacrifice entirely too much in order to survive. We sacrifice our dreams in order to put food on the table. We sacrifice our personal happiness for the happiness of others. Don't we deserve to make ourselves happy? Why should we give up more of ourselves in order to have a good afterlife?
I'm from the school of thought that we should never deny ourselves things that make us happy. Life is too damn short to be anything but happy. And yes, there have been times when I have overindulged. But do I regret it? No. Would I have regretted not doing something that made me happy? Absolutely. Now, I'm not religious by any means, I don't live my life a certain way to assure that I get into heaven. I live everyday like it's the last one I'll see because I know all too well that it may be just that. I'm not saying that it's wrong to live a righteous life, I'm just saying that it's not for me. If I die with a smile on my face then it was all worth it. And if I go to hell because of it, so be it.
But back to Lent. I propose we try a reverse lent, if you will. Instead of sacrificing something, we need to do something everyday for forty days. Let's say you lent you gave up sex. Then have sex everyday for forty days. You get the gist?
Love always,
**Jen**
I understand the "reason" why people give something up for Lent, but not the "reasoning". If you're doing something bad, or something that's bad for you, why not just give it up entirely, and become a better person. Give it up during Lent, and you're sure to go to heaven.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI gave up something for Lent, but not for religion, just to prove to myself that I can do it. I really didn't think I could- I'm learning my lesson for sure. But you are right, we shouldn't deny ourselves that which makes us happy.
ReplyDelete