What are you giving up for Lent?

I'm not Catholic, so my eternal soul's not really on the line here... but I'm thinking about playing along and giving something up for lent.

To be honest, it should probably be coming to OT.com while I'm at work.  Especially if ABC keeps his NASFWing pictures coming.

But I'm not currently doing Lent, so I can't really give it up... can I?

I'm giving up lint for lent.

I was raised Catholic. I always thought there was some value in giving up something, but I wasn't (and still am not) very good at self-deptivation. But I never could understand the point of "meatless Fridays", especially if you eat fish. How is fish meat not meat?

I am not Catholic either, but I am very fond of the idea of giving stuff up for a period of time. I find it keeps me from growing too soft. Has to be something you rely on a lot though to really be any kind of a big deal. Most of the things in life we feel are necessities really are not, so I definitely think it is a good idea to force ourselves to learn how to cope without them.

I always think of mine after it's supposed to begin... so I'll get back to you on that in a week. I'd love to say the internet, but I need it for other things.

bkev said:

 I'd love to say the internet, but I need it for other things.

You know if you "right-click" those pictures it will give you the option to save them to your computer. You might need a pretty good stockpile to last you a whole week though, but it is possible. So you don't really need the internet for those "other things".

I was implying school, but I guess my true motives have been discovered. =D

C3PX said:

I am not Catholic either, but I am very fond of the idea of giving stuff up for a period of time. I find it keeps me from growing too soft. Has to be something you rely on a lot though to really be any kind of a big deal. Most of the things in life we feel are necessities really are not, so I definitely think it is a good idea to force ourselves to learn how to cope without them.

 It's true.  Our refrigerator died last fall.  I ordered a part off of ebay to fix it, and it took 5 days to get here.  We bought blocks of ice and stuck them in the fridge and kept the door shut.  The freezer was a lost cause, but we lived without "refrigeration" for almost a whole week!  And it wasn't too bad...

Good example. But you were still able to keep your food cold with the ice. Try going a whole week without the ability to keep your food cold. Relying on dry goods and fermentation to keep your food from spoilage. Then I could consider you really hardcore.

I had a similar experience to yours a few weeks ago, only it had nothing to do with my refrigderator, and everything to do with my hotwater heater. Every morning for a little over a week I showered it up in icy cold water (this is while it was below freezing outside). Sure, I could have hit up a friend for their warm watery goodness, but instead I decided it would be good to go without for a bit. Ha ha! Ice blocks!... Xhonzi you wuss...

Cigarettes, alchohol, certain or all foods (I've gone a week before, if you decide to do something like that, just make sure you drink plenty of water), internet, some or all electronic devices, electricity (I've done this for a few weeks), running water (14 days straight is my record), hot water, and refrigeration (apperantly), are some good examples.

If you really want to give up something meaningful, throughout the day just consider all your actions and decide what things you are most dependant on.

C3, your cover's been blown! Your plan unfoiled!

Warbler said:

how can you give up all food ? If you did that for the entire season of lent, you'd die.  

Actually, probably not. Lent is based off of Jesus' temptation in the desert, which lasted forty days, during this time he did not eat. While many would be quick to say "Aw, come on! The Bible is clearly a work of fiction/Jesus was the son of God, he could do things a normal man couldn't!" I actually had a friend who felt the same way, he was talking with one of his Christian friends about how ridiculous the whole thing was and that he was sure it was impossible, his friend's response was, "I guess the only way to know for sure would be to try." To this he responded, "I think I will." And he did. He found it so fullfilling that after the first time he made it an annual thing. He said the first four days are the most difficult part (which, having gone a few more days than that myself, I can confirm), and that after a bit it gets to the point you don't even feel hungry anymore, with an occasional exception. So yeah, you could do the entire period of lent without eating and live to tell about it, if you're in fairly good health. It isn't really very good for you though, as somewhere in that period of time your body will start to harvest itself for nutrition...

I've decided that this year for lent, I'm going to give up my New Year's resolution. That's not against the rules or anything, is it?