Do you know what real hunger feels like?
We’ve all said things like “I can’t wait for lunch, I’m
starving!” before. But in the west where food is pretty much always available and
many of us struggle with not overeating, very few people, if any, know what it
means to be truly, gut-wrenchingly hungry. Even the hunger you feel when you skip
lunch on a busy workday is really uncomfortable. What would it feel like not to
eat for days?
Unfortunately, many people around the world know exactly
what that feels like. World Vision
Austria states that 70% of refugees in Lebanon are at risk for
malnutrition. That is why they initiated the campaign I am writing about. The idea
is that you forgo food for 24 hours and then donate the money you saved in that
time, which they estimate at €15, to pay for a month’s worth of food for a
Syrian child in Lebanon.
I want to take part in this for several reasons. For one
thing, while opinions are divided about opening Europe’s borders to refugees,
most people who aren’t entirely heartless would agree that providing local aid
is crucial. For another, it’s still Lent for a few more days, and I have yet to
give up a single thing – I am clearly an awful former Catholic. Also, my
emotional eating has been really bad lately and I feel like it’s time for a
fresh start. Most importantly though, I want to achieve two things:
1. Practice gratitude
Humans are odd creatures. The easiest and fastest way to
make us feel grateful for something is often to take that very thing away from
us. It shouldn’t be that way, but I’m afraid it is. People who practice
gratitude are happier and healthier overall (there is literature
on this), and I know for myself that when I remind myself of what I do have, the
things I don’t have seem a lot less important. I try to think of things I am
grateful for daily, but these past few days, I’ve had a hard time coming up
with anything. Fasting is bound to make me feel grateful for coming home to a
full fridge (well, metaphorically speaking – my fridge currently contains a red
onion, more cheese than I care to admit and a half-empty bottle of white wine).
2. Take time
I spend a lot of my time on food, probably an unhealthy
amount. Not just on preparing and eating it, but also on planning what I’m
going to eat, pondering what I should allow myself to eat and debating whether
I should exercise to balance out what I’ve already eaten. I also spend more
time than I would like on other very petty and superficial things. I want to
have the courage and self-assurance not to, but I’m not quite there yet. I
spend time comparing myself to others and envying people and worrying about
what others think of me. This week, I was painfully reminded of how short life
is. In reality, I know I want to spend it doing three things: building a
family, trying my hardest at anything I do, and being kind and generous to
others. I simply don’t think I will find enough meaning in anything other than commitment,
effort and kindness. And yet, so few people seem to find meaning in these
things or even attach any importance to them that I find it difficult to keep
believing there is any value to them. It feels like the world around me
measures me by entirely different standards, ones according to which I mostly
feel worthless.
I am hoping that I will be able to use the time I save on
cooking, eating, and planning my meals, to reflect, refocus, re-prioritize my
goals, and remind myself of what’s truly important to me.
I will be donating €15, but I almost never spend that much
on food in one day. So instead of going without food for 24 hours, I will fast
for 72 h to make the experience longer and more intense (but still medically
safe). I will start tomorrow, on Sunday March 13th, after brunch,
and I will not be eating again until Wednesday, March 16th, at the
same time. Not even chocolate. (The plan is to have mostly water, tea and
broth, but if I start feeling dizzy or like I need sugar, I’ll drink some juice.)
Wanna join? :)
Love,
Damita
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