Lent 2021, Day 46: the summing up

Another Lent has come and gone; my thirtieth in a row. Should I ever reach a remarkable old age in good enough physical shape for people to ask how I did it, the first word I shall deploy will be "Lent". Of course, I'll have to expand on that; good habits, dietary and exercise, initiated during Lent that went on into the whole year. The fact that salt snacks, confectionery, biscuits and cake no longer play any part in my diet helps, as does being able to go for many weeks without taking a sip of alcohol.

But there's also the metaphysical element. An annual stocktaking of what's most important in life, the bigger picture, asking the 'why?' of our existence. Some do this once a week - Friday prayers, Shabbos, Sunday Mass. Me, I've got into the habit of an annual exploration of my worldview, which over time becomes more nuanced, but at the heart is still as it has been for decades. Namely, a continued journey to reconcile the empiricism of science, driven by a desire for proof, and the mysticism of the spiritual world, driven by a longing for God.

Existential questions surrounding the afterlife are always there; I have an answer that probably satisfies neither those who want to cling on to the 'me-ness' of being themselves after physical death, nor those who consider death to be a final extinction of consciousness.

My approach to religion is personal; I could never join an organised religion - I'd be forever questioning matters of doctrine, dismissing swathes of it as mere social control. And yet I stand with religious folk against the reductionist-materialists who claim that there is nothing supernatural or metaphysical - everything can be explained with science. It can't. And yet I stand with scientific folk poo-pooing much that's claimed to be The Word Of God as being entirely human in provenance - if sometimes holy scripts can indeed be inspired by the numinous, the spiritual.

This year I haven't touched upon the important questions of feeling good/peace of mind nor of being kind/helping others. Religions that offer peace of mind as a main feature are missing the point, philosophically a balm rather than a remedy or substitute for a quest that might not end in what you're looking for. Helping others? Being kind? Obvious, but somehow I'm not good at reaching out to strangers with random acts of kindness. I tend to get embarrassed by charity. Maybe it's a demand-avoidance thing - I don't expect kindness from others, in fact I'm suspicious when others offer me help - are there strings attached? Maybe that's the effect of a year of lockdown; it's turning me into a hermit.

Lent is the bridge between winter and spring, it leads to Easter, the Resurrection - be it literal, metaphorical or mystical - the world is reborn (*applies to Northern Hemisphere only) once again, the circle is completed but one year up, one cycle closer to our Eternal fate.

This time last year:
Religion, Society and the Individual

This time five years ago:
Qualia - the experience of being conscious

This time six years ago:
Analysing the success of Lidl

This time seven years ago:
Should schools be teaching language - or Languages?

This time eight years ago:
More moaning about Karczunkowska's pavement deficit

This time nine years ago:
Architectural detail from Edinburgh

This time ten years ago:
Spring explodes in Jeziorki

This time 11 years ago:
Along the way for Warsaw's southern bypass

This time 12 years ago:
Quintessential Warsaw vista

This time 13 years ago:
Jeziorki on Google Earth

This time 14 years ago:
Okęcie airport, our near neighbour