Blog Post: Fasting: The Personal, the Political and the Privilege
Muzammal Hussain
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Fasting: The Personal, the Political and the Privilege
by Femi Hughes
(Full post: http://fastfortheplanet.blogspot.com/2008/11/femis-fast.html)
Growing up I had a limited understanding of why one should fast and little experience of it as something meaningful. As a child, I bought sweets with my pocket money. I remember being told at a certain time, I should stop eating sweets, and save them up until after the fast period. This took place within a religious convent and children's home, where faith was practiced in a cold and routine fashion. This had very little positive impact on me.
The notion of fasting as a deeply valuable practice came much later as result of reading books such as Gandhi's non-violent resistance to oppression. When Gandhi witnessed structural inequality both in Apartheid South Africa and in India under colonial rule, he used fasting as a self-sacrificing 'action'. Fasting was inflicting pain on himself rather than his adversary. The purpose to jolt the colonial consciences, wake them up to the effects of their actions and seek to influence a change in hearts and practice... read more