man, drinking soda often is so bad for you that it's disgusting. i don't understand how so many people have a problem with drinking too much of it. it's like 99.9999% high fructose corn syrup. or that's all that matters, anyway. i bet if you downed a jug of corn syrup it'd taste pretty much the same as soda.
my best friend doesn't celebrate lent or anything, and neither do i, but i think it's a good opportunity for him to give up drinking soda (since a lot of people are giving up unhealthy foods and drinks, and he could be encouraged by others i guess). i get so disgusted when i see him drinking all of that crap. we hung out the other day, and he had a bottle of coke for breakfast, another one after church around lunchtime, an extra-large coke at the movie theatre (we went to see Coraline), and a full refill of the extra-large coke. FFFFF GROSS. i wish people could show more self-control when it comes to unhealthy foods (not to say i dont have problems with that sometimes too, of course).
eghh i just think soda is so gross nowadays. i have it veeerry rarely, and it's never more than a small cup when i do have some.
as for lent, um, i've never celebrated it but i do think it's kind of a neat idea. i realize it's not about "THESE 40 DAYS, I WILL NOT DO _____ but afterwards it's alright to do it again". primarily, lent is for showing that God is more important than the (often unhealthy, though not always) worldly indulgences people partake in. i know a couple people at church who give up all solid food for lent. that's a pretty amazing demonstration of self-control, first of all, but also of focus on God. i admire both of those things.
i'm personally not doing anything for lent SPECIFICALLY, though i've just been trying to improve myself lately. not necessarily as a way to show my focus on God, but just to be healthier, have better relationships, etc... i think i might give up sweets. or at least i'm trying to cut back on them anyway. the religious-related thing i've been doing is taking a few notes while in church and in my youth group (to help me remember what we talked about each week, important scriptures, etc...), and i hope i can keep that up all through lent and beyond.
you know, even if you don't believe in God, i don't see how someone can see people fast for 40 days and not think that's pretty impressive. a lot of people say "pshh, silly people giving things up for their non-existant God, pshawww". but even if you don't believe in it, i think it's still respectable. when i see muslims celebrating ramadan and fasting, i think that's a cool idea and it only says good things about the people who do it. i dont think "wow, they're stupid for doing that." the story of buddha is cool, where he gave up everything to focus on enlightenment and whatnot. all those crazy asian monks who do the same thing and they like learn how to control weird stuff in their bodies and meditate completely still for hours... that's all impressive. so even if you don't do lent, i don't think people should think that it's silly.
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Lent and Addictions!