ReLent

(Or Re:Lent)

Lent will be over soon. I keep telling myself this in an effort to cope with the self-imposed inability to swear. It's very difficult because I'm so used to swearing in order to emphasize points or make myself heard more. Of course, by having this mindset, I'm probably missing the whole point of Lent, which (I can only guess at, as I am not Catholic though I was baptized as one when I was like 2 or 3) is to relinquish something willingly not merely "hold back". Because you're not actually sacrificing anything by simply holding back, you're simply doing less of that something. I haven't uttered "the F-word" or the others but simply by coming close to using them and catching myself just before actually uttering them, I've done two things: betray myself and look foolish. Really, it looks dumb when I go "Ffff-" because you can see my two front teeth so I end up looking like Goofy. It's more of a "holding back" because a part of me is just itching to throw a string of swears to describe the pettiest of situations. Not a good sign, is it?

Still, one could argue that by not actually uttering obscenities, I'm doing well in my display of solidarity.

But I'd counter that with: re-read that paragraph. I tacitly state that I suck at Lent because I'm not actually giving up foul language as I've come very close to swearing several times ("fff-). And the world keeps turning. Chances are I may write about Lent again before its over. Only this time, I will have spoken with someone who knows their stuff and can clarify what happens if you mess up and what Lent means (beyond modern peoples following in the footsteps of Christ, albeit in a seemingly petty way). I say petty because the "First world" (or any "developed" country, really) has little to worry about. I say that because I'm a fairly staunch believer of the phrase "It could be worse". Now, when you throw in this concept of Lent, you have to consider Christ who for 40 days resisted the devil and all the stuff he tried to get him to do. It was a grueling test, I would imagine. (Regardless of whether you believe in omnipotent deities and such, or simply deem religions as stories and whatever, you have to admit that being faced and tormented and basically taunted by the greatest evil ever is grueling). Now, we don't have anyone to face against but our own selves, so... our 40 day sacrifices seem petty. But then again we can't all be Christ, now can we? So I suppose in our own way, our "struggles" are "grueling".

As you can already ascertain, I've a very small knowledge of Lent and Catholic traditions in general.

And people.