So, what are you giving up for Lent? I thought I had written about this before, but I cannot find any such essay.The last time I wrote about Lenten penance was 2010, as far as I can find.
As I write this, I am enjoying a big bowl of Boston Clam Chowder. Nummy. I usually eat fish on Friday, but this is for cultural rather than penitential reasons. In recovery, there is no Penance, just restitution amendment (which is more important). The purpose of personal penance is to create in the comfortable that feeling of need that the poor and the addict feel every day. Martin Luther missed the lesson in that, as did his spiritual director.
Lent is an environmental holiday. It started when food was scarce in the late winter months. The lenten fast was designed to keep enough food on hand until the spring harvest of wheat and the appearance of other sources of food. The fast was made religious so that nobles would, in an act of self-preservation, not starve their workforce (thus having to work themselves).
Eating fish on Fridays was brought back to the British Isles because dropping the practice under Henry VIII hurt the fishing industry. There is a lot of pietus history about how the practice was begun to honor Christ, but using fish as a meat substitute may just have had to do with helping Italian fisherman centuries later.
Christ does not need to be honored by suffering. The suffering of Christ happened in solidarity with our suffering. We do not have to return the favor.
Back to the environment. We are overfishing, and worse, farm fishing in a manner that many call unhealthy (something about swimming in their own poop - kind of like what cattle, pigs and chickens face). Lab grown protein, preferably a home version, will be in our future so that we can dispense with factory farming.
Among other things, factory farming pollutes the water with all sorts of nasty micro-organisms and way too much nitrogen. The solution, however, is more humane farming, not giving up all meat - as well as better pollution controls.
For now, Big Oil is our biggest environmental problem. With it comes the monopolistic production of gasoline and the dishonest practices on the NY Mercantile Exchange trading floor. The latter was controlled by Obama and Elizabeth Warren subsequent to Dodd-Frank. Mick Mulvaney undid the controls and - presto chango - crude and gasoline prices headed back for the sky. When they finally crash, as reregulation will do, the economy may go with it.
There are also the not insignificant issues having to do with childhood (and adult) asthma and global climate change (although volcanoes or the lack thereof may have more to do with droughts than we think).
Either way, if one is looking for a good way to do some kind of environmental penance, denying oneself food is not the answer. You won't like the alternative.
TAKE THE BUS TO WORK!
Many of us already do so (with or without metrorail). We do this out of economic necessity. Many people simply cannot afford to drive to work, especially when the cost of parking is thrown in.
As the weather is warming in some parts of the country, parking your car during the week is not even a hard penance. Some may find that on certain days it may be raining. The poor face bad weather on a daily basis, including in January.
Some may find that the bus does not run often enough. There is a lesson in that. Accept, indeed advocate for, higher taxes (and lower fares) to buy more buses and hire more drivers (and let them unionize).
Like with having clam chowder because it is tradition and because it tastes good, you may actually enjoy the ride - especially if you advocate for improving it.
Finally, any act of solidarity with the poor is good for both the soul and the society. Especially because very few people die rich.
