The practice of Lent vs. running around as headless chickens

We can no longer get everything we want and still, we are unable to choose what is most important. The problem is we must choose, and then take the consequences of that choice. Perhaps ancient wisdom can help us with just that.

A Norwegian Christmas song says that “Christmas lasts until Easter, but that is not true because in between comes Lent”. The song itself is kind of a joke, which is increasingly more fitting considering most people’s relationship with fasting generally and the tradition of Lent especially.

As time has passed, we have dropped the fasting and just kept the tradition of eating pastries the week before. We may have lost something along the way.

Lent was a time to reduce activity and say no to many of life's pleasures, not to torment oneself, but to help oneself direct attention to the most important thing. Although Lent has gone out of the yearly rhythm even for the church today, there is wisdom there that we desperately need in this day and age.

The idea of ​​sacrificing something less important to experience, receive, or achieve what really matters is an ancient thought but it will help us chart a course out of the challenges our society faces today. If we are to solve today's crises, we must first figure out what we really want.

Why I would not strike for the climate today

Five years ago, I wrote about why I chose to participate in the climate strike along with thousands of other Norwegian teenagers. My point at the time was that by striking from school we show that we are willing to sacrifice for a better future. Today, I don't think the same could happen. Not because the climate is no longer important, but because I feel that we are to a greater extent governed by self-interest. 

We are so used to having most of our desires satisfied, often without having done much to deserve it. We get entertainment from all over the world at the touch of a button, all kinds of food we can think of delivered to our door and should we suddenly stop working, the state will mostly fix that too – at least in my nation of Norway.

At the same time, we see that this expectation that we can always get everything the way we want becomes problematic when our desires run counter to each other. For example, we see politicians who have chosen a career to serve the people, and at the same time take shortcuts to achieve their selfish ambitions. We are also happy to nod our heads in agreement about the importance of sustainability but are not willing to reduce our consumption or our standard of living. We all want a relationship where we are loved unconditionally while also having the opportunity to change partners if we find someone better - and over 40% of all Norwegian marriages consequently end in divorce.

I could go on with close examples from my personal life, but the point is not to shame anyone. The point is that we as individuals don't know what we want and that as a society we have forgotten that we have to choose what we really want - and take the consequences of that.

Athletes have realized this: That what is most valuable is also worth sacrificing virtually everything else for. Maybe that's why we adore them so much. 

To remove what hinders us

What would happen if we set aside a month to figure out what we really want to say yes to, and then cleared away the things that prevent us from doing just that?

On an individual level, it will make us experience more meaning and fulfillment and at the same time, our society needs more people who commit to making a difference for others without having to spend their energy on everything else.

Do you think that the state or society is not meeting a need? If this issue is important to you, could you also be part of the solution? As my former teacher said: "You get everything you need, but what you really want you have to aim for."

If we become a generation that thinks like this, perhaps we will be able to hand over the world in a better condition than we received it. If not, we will probably be running around as headless chickens.