Fasting

As I work every day to organize the events of ClimateFast the day when I will begin my fast draws closer.  September 21 to October 2 -- 12 Days.  What kind of a fast will I do and what will my fast be about?  I notice all my colleagues on the ClimateFast team are having similar thoughts.

How much can I give up?  What is the purpose of sacrifice?  Will I damage my health?

I do have health issues.  I take twice daily medication that requires me to have food in my stomach so I will not be doing a total food fast.  I will settle for two meals a day, morning and night, and will not eat meat.  Giving up beef and lamb is especially important because they produce so many greenhouse gases.  I am told that giving up eating beef is equivalent to giving up the use of your car.

My main thing will be the carbon fast.  I will not be using my car for the length of the fast.  My plan is to ride my bike or take the bus or walk wherever I go.  I am also buying all my vegetables at the organic farmer's market from local farmers.  We are planning to make light vegan salads and vegetable broth and green leaf soups.

The interesting thing is that as I become very intentional about every choice, I already feel like I am beginning the fast.  I am looking forward to it.  I become conscious and focused on every single thing I take in.  Fasting is an act of self mastery where you weigh the value of every decision and become conscious about how you are living.  It brings you into the present moment.

This is what we need to do.  If we are going to learn how to conserve energy we need to understand where it comes from.  How it is made.  Whether or not we really need to have that light on.  How warm we really need to have the house.  (Or how cold in the summer.)

Similarly, when we listen to our politicians telling us what we need for a healthy economy, we will have more awareness about what is based on the old ways -- the consumer economy -- and what policies will bring us forward into a world where we burn far fewer fossil fuels until we wean ourselves completely.

Withdrawal from fossil fuels will be very difficult.  We will need the tools of self-mastery.  And we will need to know why we should do it.  I'll be blogging about these things all through the ClimateFast.  I hope you'll join me.