WHEN THEY ONLY WANT TO HEAR YES

July 4, 2015

I don’t fast and I don’t pray. I am a happy secular soul. But I am a good human. Living in Pakistan and hanging out with people who fast till they drop while carrying no fasting myself bring people on me preaching me to make ‘pure’. (Most of the time not always.)

Just yesterday I was at Iftar dinner with some friends and with their friends.(Iftar is the food time at dusk for Muslims to redeem themselves from day’s starvation in the month of Ramazan / Ramadan.) A woman asks me, “So you are fasting?” (I don’t know why everybody asks this question here when the only answer they expect is in affirmation. If the question is replied with a proud Yes then it is followed by another question, “How many have you kept?”. Now here the questioner will only expect to hear the word ‘All‘. If not then his or her next move of making a deep smile and a thorough nod to show pride in fellow Muslim is kinda spoiled. With the reply  “I fast on and off” will make the person force open his brain to come up with some preaching sentences. (and trust me that’s kinda hard at the time before iftar because all his energy has been drained and all his mind thinks is lots of FOOD.) Thinking will make the person come in requirement of formulating appropriate sentences (to avoid counter argument) and that requirement leads to the requirement of more energy. (Which is a great problem). And that’s the big problem, friends.  Absence of required energy brings about the anger (I have no clue where the energy comes from for that.) And well all the good relationship is then mostly just a relationship afterwards.

In order to avoid going through this usual experience, I have lied for long long years about fasting. (I haven’t followed the ritual since 2000). I used to just simply say “yes” followed by “all”. (This was also mainly when I was with my muslim family , which raised me.)

Well in the end of 2008, I came  ‘out of closet’. (not is sexual orientation way) I say , “NO” and then before the person starts his verbal and facial workout, I munch on food with smile and appreciate nature’s bounty. And I feel proud of myself having my life run by me only.

But I have no problem with people who fast. I am very tolerant. It’s simply their life, their belief.

I just don’t understand the concept of fasting. It is beyond my comprehension that ‘God’ takes pleasure in human’s self-inflicted torture and suffering.  I am pretty agnostic. I have no problem with a god being present or in non existence. I don’t mind if he is real or a myth. I have never seen him; no one has ever seen him. I have never heard him or felt him. I am happy both ways. BUT if he exists, then why would he want to make people starve for 30 days straight to become happy?

Well back to where I started…(I have to work on my habit of running stray from the point.) The woman asked me, “Are you fasting?”  I replied ,” No”. Another question automatically sprang out of her, “Why?”  Now here I should have said NON OF YOUR BUSINESS but since I believe I am an educated and polite woman, I thought she deserved to know why not. I said, “I don’t believe in fasting and intentional suffering.”  Listening to this the diameter of her eyes expended into two gigantic circles with her pupils (and I swear about it) deformed into large exclamation marks. While the eyes went through big bang, her lips elongated in oval shape and exuded a kinda loud sound “WHAT!”

And I realized, I had to say that right before iftar, eh?…Ah…