Fasting strengthens Discipline
In the political scene, it would not be amiss to find different agendas and propagandas that concern it. There are numerous ways upon which a person’s political inclination could be revealed and so would be the tools that would be necessarily used to further such political belief. This would then be the intriguing subject matter for this particular paper. Starting off with the basic discussion of the concept of fasting then followed by its contribution to the political arena as well as how it is being used to meet the ends of those who are using this tool as a means.
The Concept of Fasting and Its Political Role Naturally when a person hears of the word fasting, he/she would necessarily link it towards the Christian belief of worshipping through the solemnity and seriousness of fasting. Consequently, there sprung numerous reasons for the doing the act. To fast then is to not eat for a given period of time for different kinds of reasons. Two of the most popular practitioners of fasting are the health buffs, the Christian believers, and the Islam believers.
Ideally, the health buffs believed that the fasting could somehow become a therapeutic cleansing of the body whereas the religious believers had claimed these actions as a natural affinity for the Higher Being of whom they dedicate their lives to. I strongly believe though that the bodily ramifications of fasting might have been due to the religious affiliation that the concept had been deeply rooted on. A Christian then could show his/her in depth sincerity in his/her faith through the means of a periodic fasting (Longman, 2007).
Same as fasting could discipline the people especially to those who have an Islam belief of the Five Pillars (Farrakhan, 1988). Much to people’s consternation, the disciplinary factor about fasting is still somewhat dubitable for them. The easy enough answer for these doubts would be a word that is already a passe notion for some —and that is faith. It would then be seen that the general wheel that makes fasting to be still in practice is through faith.
As a major player, faith then could be warranted as acting upon a belief that would not necessarily mean as a religious conviction but a sincerity that could extend even to other matters that are non-religious in nature. The extent of which fasting could be stretched is through the political repercussions that political movements are headed towards as well as the bodily benefits that it may entail, as was mentioned above. Going back to the political usage, fasting could be seen as a instrument that would further a definite cause by a person’s or group’s intention.
A well known person who has used fasting is the renowned Mahatma Gandhi. His life had become a constant inspiration for those who had tried to really know Gandhi’s history and achievements. His belief in a non-violent approach to changes, he had advocated a prayer and fasting assembly on the year where Britain declared that the Indians would still be under the oppressing rules that they have provided after World War I (Dear). In this particular time, numerous household and Indians had taken up the challenge, much to Britain’s and even Gandhi’s wonder.
The British retaliated by renewing their forces and arrested people for the protest even if it were done in a peaceful manner. This did not deter Gandhi but his own conviction grew stronger –the realization of Britain that India should be made independent from their clutches. The ways of which Gandhi had used fasting could be reverted back to the concept of faith in fasting. The belief that the ways that he had proposed would generate the desired results is what could be seen as the concept of faith. Also, Gandhi’s works had also extended from the religious aspect to the political agenda that he had in mind.
The dream of seeing an independent India and a restored spirit among the defeated Indians from the British hands was among the political success that Gandhi had during his time. Like clockwork, from the ideals that Gandhi had instilled, some people had become convinced that some political movements would not necessarily mean physical and violent resistance. However, there are those who would question the solemnity of fasting in gaining a political ideal. It seems that some people would treat this kind of fasting as a mere hunger strike and that it usually are devoid of the religious connotation (Hooser, 2007).
Nonetheless, this would not necessitate that Gandhi’s work and so did others would go down a notch. Consequently, it fortified a way for other religious action, i. e. fasting, to be used apart from its spirituality. I would not dare think that Gandhi had done it for pure political gain but also as part of his spiritual development as a person but this is for the sake of clarifications. After such moving ideas from Gandhi there were other people who had used fasting as a way to let their ideas and voices are heard. But this fasting may not necessitate as the usual no-food strike.
Some organizations had stretched such concepts by means of fasting or abstaining from buying other things that might be against what they believed in (Kandaswamy, 2005). This is a different form of hunger strike then. As was popularized first by Gandhi as a form of civil protest, the continuing extension of the concept of fasting had taken a different step. Conclusion It could very well then be deduced that fasting had started out from a much religious and spiritual perspective, it had now veered towards the direction that is definitely non-religious.
The main figure that started out the concept of fasting as a hunger strike was Mahatma Gandhi. His works had now inspired other people and organizations to recreate the non-violent approach through fasting in letting others know what they believed on. It should then be noted that hunger strikes a political move then had extended to other fasting that are differently conceptualized. A political move then could be deemed as the faith and belief in a certain aspect. With this move, some organizations then encourage other people to support their cause by boycotting some products.
Just like the animal killings campaign, the killings would stop if the buying would end too. References Dear, J. Mahatma Gandhi, Apostle of Nonviolence: An Introduction (Publication. Retrieved September 17, 2007, from Mohandas Gandhi: Selected Reading from Orbis Book: http://www. johndear. org/pdfs/mahatmagandhiapostleofnonviolence. pdf -This article had provided a brief history of what Gandhi had done and contributed during his time. Farrakhan, L. (1988).
Fasting strengthens Discipline. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://www. finalcall. com/MLFspeaks/fasting. html – This is an article of what Minister Louis Farrakhan had to say regarding fasting as part of the five pillars. Hooser, D. (2007). Fasting: A Spiritual Power Tool (Publication. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from United Church of God, An International Association: http://www. gnmagazine. org/issues/reprints/Fasting. pdf -This is an article that provides the conception of fasting and the spiritual ties that it has apart from the known hunger strikes that political movements use.
Kandaswamy, D. (2005). Save the Earth: By Fasting. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://www. islamonline. net/English/Science/2005/07/article06. shtml – This is a website that provides explanation where fasting could be stretched from its usual connotation. Longman, R. (2007). FASTING: as spiritual discipline and devotional practice. Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www. spirithome. com/fasting. html – This is where fasting was discussed through a much more Biblical insinuations.
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