“Simple pleasures are always the last refuge of the complex” ~ Oscar Wilde
We fast because we want to remember.
Of course, some of us fast simply out of solidarity. Solidarity to the group, the hungry, the religion..the waistline. That all can be faith strengthening behavior. That’s fine too.
For those who want to go beyond the tides of physical need, fasting briefly frees us from the chase. Fasting breaks the most natural habits, even sleep. We fast to prolong yearning. Or remember what it’s like to yearn. Like love from a distance.
Fasting reminds us of scarcity. Of basic pleasures. After all, it was a sip of water that haunted Jesus on the walk to the cross. A miswak before the Prophet’s passing. A final lecture at the brink of chemo.
Because, when we break our fasting with sustenance, we renew our vows to life. That we eat to live, and not the other way around. That the small pleasures make up for an entire day’s worth of miserable yearning. For suns to set.
And promises kept.
