A Very Lenten Ramadan

Episode 3

Hello, this is the third short podcast in a limited series called ‘A Very Lenten Ramadan’. In this series I’m documenting my reflections on fasting during Lent this year, for which I am doing a Ramadan style fast. This was inspired by the fact that Lent and Ramadan began on the same day this year.

I think my reflections this week amount to the quite trivial and the more profound.

Firstly the trivial. I’ve reached the stage when the ‘dry mouth thing’ is starting to get mildly irritating. When you’re not consuming any liquid during the day, easily by midday if not earlier, this gross dryness in your mouth and throat starts to develop. Then of course it lingers and increases all the way until sundown.

It’s highlighted to me just how often I have a hot beverage in my hand. As a teacher there are lessons when I’m off class and I am sure that 9.9 repeater times out of 10, I would start the off-class period by making myself a hot beverage. Even when you’re doing a liquids only fast you can go and make yourself a cup of tea or etc. So I’m somewhat amused by just how weird it is to be sitting at my desk working and not drinking something. I’m surviving without it, but it does feel odd.

I’m not sure what the takeaway point is though. I should drink more water, but I already knew that! Not making a cup of something though does mean that I don’t go to the kitchenette area much at the moment which is one place where I chat with people.

Maybe in a weird, long, roundabout way this is telling me to be more social with people at work. Not because just because they happen to be there when I’m performing a function which is using the zip to make a tea. But because I should just invest in people in my workplace because I care about talking to them. Again, it’s not as though I didn’t know this or have never thought about it before – and it’s definitely not as though I don’t care about people…

It’s just that it’s highlighted it to me again as I reflect.

So, maybe that first point isn’t so trivial after all…

Secondly the more profound reflection point has been brought to mind this week by the ongoing issues in Iran, of which I am so poorly informed. In part this is because I rarely if ever watch television these days. In all seriousness, I couldn’t tell you the last time I watched TV. I have one, but doing some part time study in recent years – and a fair bit of it – as being a fulltime worker at the same time has led me to basically zone television out of my life, because I had to if I wanted to get assignments done.

And because I’m of the generation that actually likes to watch a half hour news program at night, this means, over the last few years I’ve been a little bit out of the news cycle.

I’ll just pause to say I’m aware of how old all of the above makes me sound.

At any rate, it’s been brought to my attention that I know very little about political situations around the world. I’ve been meaning to get more on top of it, but life gets in the way. I know that there are many Christians in Iran who are suffering. But I don’t feel like I know enough and I don’t know enough about what their experiences are like during Ramadan when so many people around them are fasting. I feel like I’m not informed enough about how to pray for them.

I think this has caused me to reflect on how little I know about lots of cultures including the cultures of the Muslim world. One of my Muslim colleagues has been posting on social media some pictures of truly beautiful architecture and ornamentation from the Islamic world, during Ramadan.  And I think it’s prompted me to realise – I should know more than I do.

Especially when I’m in a job where I work with people from other cultures all the time. That’s probably my favourite thing about my job. I have stayed in one place but work (or God, however you think about it) has brought the world to my doorstep – or my classroom.

So, I’m sure I know more than I used to about other cultures, but is it ever enough? And shouldn’t we want to know more? The more we know about other cultures the more we understand the people from these other cultures. And the better we can interact with them, maybe even help them.

We are in a time when society seems so polarising with ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentalities, jumping from one extreme to another. We are also experiencing what feels like to me as an increase in racism – although maybe it’s just getting louder. Is not now the time, even more than ever, to ensure we are learning more about each other, understanding each other better and embracing and celebrating the differences.

So these are my reflections after another week of Ramadan style fasting. I’ve also been reflecting on the fact that I should probably be praying more and specifically for the Muslim world in more detail.

So as my fast continues on for another week, I should do just that and I trust your Lenten season is helping you to draw closer to God and have a deeper experience of his love for you.