Over 1 billion Muslims around the world are celebrating a holiday today.
Eid-al-Fitr celebrates the end of the month of Ramadan — it occurs the first day after Ramadan ends.
Fasting during Ramadan, with no food or drink from sunrise to sunset for 30 days, is one of the 5 Pillars of Islam — the core tenets of the religion.
Because of the vagaries of the Islamic calendar, the months are not fixed with the seasons. When I was in high school, Ramadan was in the winter.
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Now it is in the summer. Where I live, the fasting timeframe is from ~3:30am-8:20pm. That is a long time to go without eating or drinking.
To non-Muslims, it sometimes sounds like a form of torture. It’s not something we should willingly do.
Therein Lies Its Purpose
Why would a normal, reasonable person willingly do this for an entire month?
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Even in winter time, when the fasts are several hours shorter and the physical/mental toll less, how many people would willingly fast for 30 days?
Of course, we have a choice. We have free will. We have resources.
*I* have access to as much food and water and sustenance as I need/want.
Giving up something you have, something you need, something that is a basic requirement, is why Ramadan is important.
Giving up just a single thing — caffeine, chocolate, pizza, etc — or even giving up food during the day but not drink, doesn’t have the same impact.
It’s a challenge — it is not easy — but it does not impart the same lesson, change the body’s responses, or change one’s outlook in the same way.
How Much Do You Need?
The first few days of Ramadan are tough, particularly for those who have not tapered their caffeine intake in the days prior.
In addition to caffeine withdrawal, it is not natural to wake up early for a large meal, or to stay up late for an even larger meal.
You notice hunger pangs at noon — the body is used to being fed, no matter what you ate hours earlier in the day.
A couple of hours before Iftar the official countdown begins — the clock showing the time closest to sunset is the go-to device. Atomic clocks are popular.
The hunger pangs increase; the thirst becomes noticeable.
When Iftar arrives — the light snack to break the fast doesn’t seem enough. The full meal that follows is welcomed.
The thirst is easily satiated.
After a few days though, the body and brain start to make adjustments
What is “Enough?”
Waking up before sunrise to eat a large meal becomes more difficult. Your body begins to value sleep more than a large breakfast.
The hunger feelings dissipate — it may not even be noticeable until afternoon.
The feeling of something missing increases. It’s not a feeling that is easily described, nor often felt.
It’s the feeling of true thirst, deep inside you. The desire for water, or even better, a cold, sweet drink. It’s far stronger than the hunger.
Fatigue increases — you have a few hours in the morning where you can fully concentrate, but the ability to focus begins to wane in the afternoon.
Crankiness may creep in a bit faster.
As Iftar approaches, it’s not the food that is appealing — the thirst rises to the top.
When sunset hits and the fast is broken, the light snack is enough to completely satiate your appetite.
Eating a full meal afterwards is almost a punishment — it is gluttonous, storing up food for the next day, food your body does not want but your brain says it needs.
As the end of the month nears, you no longer use the atomic clock to ensure you know the exact second Iftar arrives.
The meal is welcome, but counting down to the exact second is not as important.
Eid — aka Groundhog Day
By the end of the month you realize that much of what you want and need is really a function of desire and habit.
The “hanger” that someone feels from skipping lunch on a regular day vanishes partway into Ramadan as the body shuts down a little to decrease its caloric requirements.
Eating during the day after Ramadan ends feels awkward. Having dinner before 8pm feels odd.
After fasting for long stretches, it turns out that the body only needs a few hundred calories and some water to feel 100%.
Once you have fasted for a month, eating a couple hundred calories when your body does not expect it is is eye-opening. Your concentration, energy, and mood are all uplifted with out eating a full meal.
The body has learned that the “regular” amount we eat is not necessary. We often eat for pleasure and enjoyment, not for nourishment.
We all realize it. And most of us forget. Every. Single. Year.
Two months later we’re back to our old habits, overcaffeinating and overeating, taking things for granted.
We’re cranky at 1pm because we are having a “late” lunch. We stuff unhealthy snacks into our system and justify it because we are “starving.”
It’s as if Ramadan never happened.
The Take-Home
A core concept of Ramadan is self-restraint and discipline. It’s also a yearly reminder of our limitations, and a reminder to increase our awareness of those who do not have what we have.
Many Muslims who willingly fast do not have the resources I have. They do not have unlimited access to clean, fresh water. They do not have unlimited access to food.
Hundreds of millions of people who are not Muslim are forced to fast every day because they have no choice.
It’s not until we live that reality for a full month that it truly hits home — fasting not only teaches us about “enough” and self-control, it increases our desire to help others who have less.
Imagine what life would be like every day for hundreds of millions of people, who have been fasting for months or years if they could just have a midday snack and a cup of water? Imagine the profound difference in their lives, their outlook, and their ability to improve their future?
In the immediate aftermath of Ramadan, when I realize that only a few hundred calories during the day makes me feel great, it’s a stark reminder that even those few hundred calories are unavailable to many.
While I am probably addicted to sweets, giving up chocolate for a month every year will not teach me these lessons. It’s simply not a big enough change, a big enough shock to the system, to make me change my perception of the world around me.
Ramadan is that shock, but in a good way. The only unfortunate thing is human frailty means it’s never enough — we need it to come back each year to refresh our memories.
While there is a bit of dread involved when the month approaches (mostly in summer), there is also a great deal of joy involved.
I’ll be celebrating with family and friends. Today I will eat and drink well. The key is not to wait until next year to remember the lessons learned.
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