What I’m Giving Up In March
A little voluntary renunciation
It’s lent again. A time when we who observe are encouraged to give up certain pleasures or luxuries, to detach from the allure of the physical and tune in to spiritual more.
Because sometimes you need to get rid of the fluff to see the really important things better.
Of course, I like having fancy things too. Who doesn’t? What I don’t like is when I find myself thinking what can I do without this? Or sometimes what do I do with all these?
Yes, when it comes to materials abundance is great and lack is not, but isn't maintaining a sense of detachment no matter what the main thing? I imagine the inconvenience of having too much and I imagine the inconvenience of having too little and I hate them both so I try to stop imagining and maybe just not care.
Whenever I do this, life feels simpler. And somehow everything I accomplish feels 10 times more impactful. But I'm only human. Before I know it I get too attached to it all. Again.
I saw a tweet one time from someone about a schoolmate who decided to give up mirrors for lent and would awkwardly duck into restroom stalls to avoid even stealing a glance and I heaved and cackled remembering my own Lenten abstinences to remedy my over-attachments.
There was that time I gave up k-dramas. For the first time in my life, I understood a bit the depiction of a junkie going through heavy withdrawal symptoms that I usually saw in the movies. The moodiness and the constant irritability drained me till I forced myself to revisit other more creative hobbies instead.
That time I gave up meat and every drink that was not water was definitely not better. That was when everybody suddenly decided they wanted to celebrate something and oh the offers were endless. I was in a hostel then and could not escape the pleasant olfactory invasion.
This time I'm doing a 'no online search' March. I will not be using the search button on any search engine or social platform. May the algorithm have the right recommendations. May the information I need find me through serendipity. I will become that person that doesn't just google it and may the people I pester have the patience to bear with me, lol.
As usual, it will feel silly doing this especially now when most people want easier and faster, and more and more…Hopefully, there won’t be a need for any quick and heavy research anytime soon. Let me see how it goes.
Not spiritually motivated this time but the urge to abstain from something this season is so strong my catholic upbringing can simply not resist!
One thing about this practice though is that you’d be surprised the way you’ve become too attached to a lot, the number of things you’ve over-prioritized in your life without realising it.
