Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I am Catholic, and I fast during Lent. Fasting is part of many religious traditions. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan. Jews, Hindus and Buddhists also fast at times. My cursory research into religious fasting revealed that these religions share somewhat-similar reasons for fasting, which are specific to their beliefs, but generally relate to: self-discipline, atonement, time for prayer and spiritual reflection, preparing for or commemorating an event, sacrifice (money saved from fasting is donated to those in need). Fasting is meant to be a spiritually-transformative practice for the believer. We do not fast so that we can lose weight and fit into our swimsuits. However, people also fast for non-religious reasons related to physical or mental health. And indeed fasting, whether as a spiritual or health practice, can mean more than just abstaining from food. We can fast from other things - material goods, activities, habits, etc. We can fast from Facebook.
I have mixed feelings about fasting from Facebook. Checking e-mail or Facebook and internet browsing are all activities that can be superfluous or time-wasters. They would be appropriate activities to fast from in terms of my spiritual beliefs, because the pull of these "electronic" distractions can take away from time spent in prayer or reflection. At the same time, these forms of communication and interaction are also activities that are essential to my life in ways. If you're a parent, you know that the majority of communications related to schools and activities is done electronically these days. For my work, I need to check my email a certain number of times per day and maintain a Facebook page. In addition, I connect with various groups and communities - friends, family, church, school, homeschool, neighborhood - through Facebook and email. I also want to share my blog posts on Facebook. I have learned about books, events and ideas that have made my life better and that I otherwise wouldn't have known about through the internet. I have taken an online writing course and am starting another one soon. These are wonderful opportunities and can be important ways to connect. In fact, the internet can be invaluable to people who might be isolated or marginalized for a variety of reasons, because it allows them to connect with people in similar circumstances or reach out for support from like-minded individuals.
The bottom line is that I often use email/FB/internet intentionally and purposefully. But sometimes, I use them mindlessly, and that's the downside. So rather than fasting from them entirely, I'd like to fast from them periodically or restrict them to certain days or times of the day. I don't have the solution yet. But obviously, it's something I think about fairly often since I've blogged on this theme before:
Modern-life maladies & their antidotes
The Case for Space
I don't need to know about Mario Puzo and other lessons from Screen-Free Week
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I also really love, love, love this post 7 Ways To Be Insufferable On Facebook from the website Wait but Why. The "7 Ways" post is pretty hilarious, and you should definitely read it. You'll recognize others and probably yourself. Most of us have created an "insufferable" post at some point. And really - who cares what people post on Facebook, because no one is forcing you to read it. I have to admit, though, that I do find some of the "7 Ways" particularly egregious, such as the "The Crypic Cliffhanger" and "The Inexplicably-Public Private Message." Ha! "The Step Toward Enlightenment" is potentially annoying too. Recently people were posting a meme with the quote "It doesn't matter if you can quote the Bible, if you live like you've never opened it." Well...yeah, of course! But that could apply to just about any quote, belief, opinion, proverb or nugget of wisdom that people share on FB. It doesn't matter what you quote on FB, if you live like you haven't read it...
Still, we don't want to overthink things too much. I myself am in no way prone to overthinking things /sarcasm off/. Lately, I have sometimes thought...what is my purpose in wanting to post this? If it means that I'm going to spend time checking reactions or engaging in discussions or responses that will take time away from other priorities, maybe I should think twice and go read a book, pray, call a friend, take a walk or write instead.
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