Lent II: vigils
I blame my father's Catholic upbringing, but I've always had a soft spot for Lent. Given all the hurting that goes on it makes a lot of sense to me to have a big chunk of the religious year dedicated to mourning.
When I was younger I used to give things up, like chocolate, or cookies. I came to the unfortunate realization though, that then when I'd go back to said things, I'd eat EVEN MORE than I used to, which made me start to doubt the value of fasting in general, as it actually seemed to weaken my self-discipline.
But because of this aforementioned soft-spot, I do want to mark the season of Lent in an active way. So this year I'm taking on vigils. I'm aiming to join in with another group once a week, and hopefully get something local off the ground also once a week. I'll let you know how it goes.
It's been a bit of a mad spat of vigils and protests lately, with Lent starting and also external factors. And there's nothing like standing outside for a few hours on a winter's afternoon to give you a chance to really think about why on earth you are doing what you are doing.
Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan (x2), Iraqi oil, Guantanamo Bay, nuclear weapons...Six vigils or protests, each organized by a different organization, each with a different format and vibe.
The vigils I've found most powerful, and which as such I imagine have the best chance of being heard by people on the street (if not by those in power, I mean, can anything really reach them?), are the mellowist ones. Where you just hand out information to raise awareness, and if it's your schtick, you pray.
It's probably just a personality thing, but I get really impatient with angry protests. Even though the issues under discussion are well worth getting angry about, I find the anger counter-productive, especially when it gets directed at the police, as almost inevitably happens. That said, it is really easy to get angry at the police, because even one mouthy, pushy officer makes all the rest look bad. Just like even one mouthy, pushy activist makes the rest look bad to the police, I'm sure.
Getting pushed around when I'm praying does really piss me off though.
When I was younger I used to give things up, like chocolate, or cookies. I came to the unfortunate realization though, that then when I'd go back to said things, I'd eat EVEN MORE than I used to, which made me start to doubt the value of fasting in general, as it actually seemed to weaken my self-discipline.
But because of this aforementioned soft-spot, I do want to mark the season of Lent in an active way. So this year I'm taking on vigils. I'm aiming to join in with another group once a week, and hopefully get something local off the ground also once a week. I'll let you know how it goes.
It's been a bit of a mad spat of vigils and protests lately, with Lent starting and also external factors. And there's nothing like standing outside for a few hours on a winter's afternoon to give you a chance to really think about why on earth you are doing what you are doing.
Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan (x2), Iraqi oil, Guantanamo Bay, nuclear weapons...Six vigils or protests, each organized by a different organization, each with a different format and vibe.
The vigils I've found most powerful, and which as such I imagine have the best chance of being heard by people on the street (if not by those in power, I mean, can anything really reach them?), are the mellowist ones. Where you just hand out information to raise awareness, and if it's your schtick, you pray.
It's probably just a personality thing, but I get really impatient with angry protests. Even though the issues under discussion are well worth getting angry about, I find the anger counter-productive, especially when it gets directed at the police, as almost inevitably happens. That said, it is really easy to get angry at the police, because even one mouthy, pushy officer makes all the rest look bad. Just like even one mouthy, pushy activist makes the rest look bad to the police, I'm sure.
Getting pushed around when I'm praying does really piss me off though.
posted by dm at 10:33 AM
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