Yep, now that Lent is officially over (as of Thrusday night for you folks who aren't sure when that happens), it's time to start planning the biggest, craziest, and all-around most Jesusiest Lent ever! Lent 2005!
In past years I've given up* some pretty crazy things for Lent: no eating in between meals, nothing to drink but water, and this year no meat (not even fish!). Well get ready, because in 2005 the stakes will be raised! After considering options such as giving up the internet, channel 15, or hip-hop, I decided on something even more radical. In 2005, I will be giving up my sight for Lent! All I have to do is not wear my glasses for 40 days, which correct for my near-sightedness.
I will still be able to see close up things (meaning I could read and work at a computer which will be my job next spring) but just not far away things in detail. The only real problem I've thought of so far is driving. I experimented with taking off my glasses while driving home for Easter, and I think it's doable. I can't really read any road signs without my glasses, but I could probably tell the difference between an Exxon and a Mobil station (or Aloha and Mahalo stations). I could probably also see all signal lights on cars on the road, but I wouldn't be able to tell you if the car changing lanes is a Miata or a Z3. If anyone else has ideas of what other problems I might run into please let me know. Classes and talks are other problem situations, but I figure I can just sit in the front row. Incidentally, I got the idea for giving this up by wishing that I could have the ability of checking out girls walking by on campus or during communion taken away from me. It can be very distracting.
* - This should not be considered a "sacrifice." I don't really think of it as such, and in light of the current conversation, I would not be so bold.
Posted by tdupuy at April 10, 2004 8:42 PMIf you give up your sight next year, I want a detailed itinerary of where you will be driving at all times so that I can avoid you like the plague.
Why don't you give up driving instead? It's safer for all involved.
Posted by: E1st at April 10, 2004 9:20 PMI don't think fleeing from temptation means driving over a cliff.
Posted by: Lara at April 11, 2004 12:18 AMWhy don't you ACTUALLY give up sight, entirely. Wear a blindfold or two eyepatches during the entirety of Lent?
Posted by: jankowski at April 11, 2004 9:15 AMProblematic, not to mention illegal altogether. I mean, while you're at it why not give up spending money, that's a vice right?
Posted by: andy at April 11, 2004 5:51 PMIs giving up your sight really in the spirit of Lent? Aren't you suppose to give up something that is bad for you or others? It seems to me that by driving w/o eye correction you're endangering your own life as well as the lives around you, especially given your driving record. It just doesn't seem very Lentish to me.
I guess I'm really glad you'll be on a tiny island on the south pacific next year when you undertake this adventure. I'll make sure to schedule my keck runs around Lent.
Posted by: Kris at April 12, 2004 6:15 PMSome guy (I'm like 90% sure this was a pretty famous scientist, but I can't remember the name) once experimented on himself by changing the lenses on his glasses so that they'd project the outside world upside down into his eyes. After a few weeks, his eyes/brain "learned" that they were getting the wrong image and inverted it for him automatically, so that he could once again move around properly in the world. When he took the glasses off, his brain was still flipping the images, and it took him a few weeks to get back to his original functioning state.
Now, I don't think that's something good to do for lent, but I do think that wearing a blindfold for 40 days would be.
Or just straight up fasting the entire time. If you give up somethign vital to human survival under the guise of lent, are you offered any sort of divine protection during that period? Like if you WERE to fast for 40 days, I assume this would usually wither you away to nothing, and that if you ruled out water as well you'd die. What sort of non-death guarantee is god willing to offer you in exchange for your lenten sacrifices? If you WERE to die would this be seen as The Ultimate Sacrifice (TM), or would you just be really dumb?
Posted by: jankowski at April 13, 2004 10:30 AM